O what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive - MARMION - by Sir Walter Scott.
From time to time we hear all sorts of conflicting and confusing stories from PAM concerning the location of a proposed new Stadium that the PAM Government was planning to build before the government left office.
Here is what the PAM Government said about the location in the official publication "Year in Review 1990":-
Government has identified a site for a modern Olympic Stadium in St. Kitts. The proposed site is near to Taylors Village and just west of the Sugar Factory, and the Stadium is to be funded jointly by the Governments of France and St. Kitts and Nevis. Plans for the athletic complex were part of an agreement signed in January (1990) by both Governments.
"Prime Minister Simmonds says the complex would include a football field, a 400-meter track, facilities for field events, and a cycling velodrome."
Although the agreement was signed in January 1990, PAM left office in 1995 without even laying the foundation for the Stadium. So far we have heard all sorts of fanciful stories about PAM's proposed Olympic Stadium.
Sometimes the PAMites say the proposed site for the Stadium was at Taylors. A next time the PAMites say Bird Rock and when they run out of ideas, they say that they planned to put down the new Stadium on lands south of Kittstoddarts, across the Island Main Road, between the estate yard of Pond and Needsmust Estates. Sometimes the PAMites say the proposed Stadium complex would include a Swimming Pool. At other times, they say it would not.
PAM had at least 4 years to put down the proposed Stadium complex. Instead of building the complex in the Douglas Estate area, after the Government used the site for the construction of the Beach-Allen Primary School, the PAMites left office without doing a thing about the proposed new Stadium.
Contrary to what the PAMites are saying now, their stated intention during the 1990s was to upgrade the facilities at Warner Park to accommodate One-Day International Cricket matches. PAM is criticizing the new Cricket Stadium at Warner Park out of envy and jealousy. The PAMites are jealous and envious because they were deprived at the 2004 General Elections of the opportunity to build the new Warner Park Stadium themselves.
Now, insofar as the Sugar Industry is concerned, PAM had tried again and again to confuse the electorate regarding the party's true and definitive position on the Industry. PAM would say one thing now and a different and contradictory thing later.
The following is an extract from Prime Minister Simmonds' Budget Address on December 19, 1994:-
"The performance of the Sugar industry cannot be evaluated strictly by the bottom line or by the use of financial or monetary criteria. The positive impact of the industry on employment, income, foreign exchange earnings and the environment must also be taken into account".
During the 1960s and 1970s PAM criticized the Sugar Industry bitterly. The PAMites said the Sugar Industry was neither financially nor economically viable. The PAMites said that KING SUGAR was dead and the Sugar Industry should be closed down.
From 1980 to 1995, the period of PAM's political hegemony, there was no more talk about closing down the Sugar Industry coming from PAM or from the Democrat. As soon as PAM lost power in 1995, PAM took up its old refrain and again, began clamouring for the Sugar Industry to be closed down. PAM forgot what Dr. Simmonds had said about the value of the Sugar Industry on December 19, 1994. Is PAM for real? Can we really trust PAM?
We go to another issue now - The issue of Integrity in public life. At the final meeting of the National Assembly held on September 12, 1994, several legislative measures received consideration.
These measures included the Eastern Caribbean Home Mortgage Bank Agreement Act, the Probation and Child Welfare Board Act, the Pensions (Variation) Act, the Law Reform (miscellaneous Provisions) Act, the Integrity in Public Life Act, and the Law Library Act.
The Integrity in Public Life Act is intended to establish a five-person Integrity Commission to be appointed by the Governor General after consultation with the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
Of the six (6) Acts that were considered in 1994, the Integrity in Public Life Act and the Law Library Act were the only two (2) Acts that were not passed into law. The two (2) Acts were given a first reading only.
Within recent times, PAM has been placing a great deal of emphasis on the matter of "Integrity in public life." The matter appears to mean quite a lot to PAM. However, when PAM had the opportunity to pass the Act into law on September 12, 1994, PAM gave the Act its first reading only. PAM ducked and ran away from the opportunity to pass into law the very Act that the PAM Government introduced into the National Assembly. PAM preferred to pass into law "The Pensions (Variation) Act. I will tell you why.
The Pensions (Variation) Act was passed in 1994 to upgrade the pensions payable to Police Officers, other Civil servants, and to current legislators as well as former legislators who had since retired from the National Assembly. The Act also amended the Governor General and for the Prime Minister as well.
Let no one fool you, The Pensions (Variation) Act, 1994, provided "heavy, heavy" pensions for Dr. Simmonds when he retired and also for the Governor General, Sir Clement Arrindell, when he retired. What the Police Force received was an insult to the members. Dr. Simmonds came away with the "lion's share" from the deal so far as pensions were concerned
Dr. Simmonds made it possible in 1994 for him to receive a whopping, big pension whenever he retired. And please note that he did not set up a Committee or a Commission to advice on pensions for Prime Ministers and Governors General. Dr. Simmonds just provided for himself, what he wanted for himself. Just like that. And in spite of that, those God-less hypocrites have the face of brass to criticise our Best Prime Minister Ever.
Dr. Simmonds cared not a 'tush' for anything to do with Integrity in Public Life. If he did, he would have passed the Integrity in Public Life Act in 1994. he did not. He gave the Act its first reading. In addition he would not have given himself and the Governor General the pension that he wanted for himself and the Governor General. That was not an example of Integrity in Public Life. That was an example of how to legalise greed, avarice and rapacity in Public Office.
The actions and behaviour of PAM are all too clear and too predictable. PAM refused to bring about positive and progressive Electoral Reform during the party's 15-year rule. But as soon as PAM is no longer in office, Electoral Reform is regarded by PAM to be an "urgent national priority".
In 1994, PAM ran away from passing into law the Integrity in Public Life Act. Now that PAM is out of power, PAM is criticising the Labour Government for not doing yet what PAM did not want to do.
From the mid-1960s and throughout the 1970s, PAM criticised the Sugar Industry and wanted the then Labour Government to shut down the Industry. PAM entered office in 1980 with the Sugar Industry still in operation. Instead of closing down the Industry, PAM made the Industry worse off.
As soon as PAM left office after 15 years in power, PAM was trying to force the Labour Government to do what PAM did not want to do.
Every student of local history knows how hard PAM fought to prevent the establishment of our local Social Security Scheme. PAM did not fight only in the local press and on the political platform; PAM sent out its errand boys to every workplace and worksite on St. Kitts and Nevis with one message: The message was clear and it was simple: Employers and employees were to have nothing to do with the Social Security Scheme. It is bad for employers and it is bad for employees.
Nowadays PAM wants to take over the Social Security Scheme. The party is giving the public the false impression that PAM has always been supportive of the Social Security Scheme and not hostile and antagonistic towards it. PAM did not want the Scheme to succeed because that would benefit thousands of employees (workers) who would then in gratitude vote for the Labour Party. PAM did not want such a thing to happen. PAM turned the Nation's motto: "Country Above Self" upside down.
Before PAM got into power in 1980, its political candidates used to criticise our Labour Government Ministers for too much overseas travel. The PAM candidates used to say that when they get into office, they would cut the overseas travel down to a bare minimum. They would use their office telephones instead, they said.
But that did not happen when PAM got into power. In the first instance, the Simmonds Administration actually increased the Daily Allowance paid to Government Ministers on overseas travel. And as a result, the volume of overseas travel increased 10-fold.
One PAM Minister used to spend more time overseas in one month than he would spend in St. Kitts on official government duties. Another PAM Minister who used to travel a lot overseas got caught in an inconvenient matter and had to run away, leaving a briefcase behind in the hotel room.
PAM loves to talk the talk. But when push comes to shove, PAM is not committed enough to walk the walk. Labour talks the talk and also walks the walk, while PAM uses rhetoric and propaganda to further its own cause, the Labour Party uses truth, honesty and empowerment to promote the best interests of the electorate.
No one who was alive then, can ever forget the sordid events of 1966-67. Firstly, a number of PAMites prepared themselves for the 10th June terrorist attack on St. Kitts by going to Anguilla to sharpen their shooting skills. Secondly, PAM demanded, by letter, that the Labour Party, which had won all 7 sets on St. Kitts on the 25th of July 1966, should resign.
Thirdly, because the PAMites lost the July 1966 General Elections, and because the Labour Government refused to step down as demanded by PAM, the upshot was the infamous armed attack of the 10th of June, 1967.
Elections were held on the 29th of November 1993. The results were inconclusive. Labour won 4 seats with the over-whelming majority of the popular votes. PAM won 4 seats. The Labour Party made a just, fair and legitimate request for fresh Elections. This request was refused. Civil Disobedience ensued. Note however, that unlike in the 1966-67 period, no attempt at all was made to shoot the PAM Government out of office.
In 1966-67, PAM's policy was this: If political power cannot be obtained by means of the BALLOT, then political power ought to be obtained by means of the BULLET. This is the Nazi Russian way. Note, the modern democratic way. The electorate rose up in 1993 and used the way of Civil Disobedience, a way pioneered by the great American Henry David Thoreau and used later by Ghandi of India and the great Civil Rights Leader, Dr. Martin Luther King.
It has been said that "Satan is like a roaring lion, seeking whom it may devour. PAM may be likened to the biblical Serpent who deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden and caused her downfall together with Adam. We have to be careful of PAM
Just before the Elections of 2000, Dr. Simmonds declared on radio that his party (PAM) had 5 seats in the bag already. The 6th seat, he said, looked "iffy". Labour won the Elections ALL-8.
Shortly after the Elections of 2000, the new Leader of PAM predicted that General Elections would be held in late 2002 or early in 2003. Elections were held on the 25th October, 2004. The new Leader of PAM started off on his career by being wrong; dead wrong.
At pages 35-36 of Labour's 2004 Manifesto it is recorded as follows:-
"A new Labour Government will transform Warner Park into a modern multi-purpose sports facility to establish it as a venue for international sporting event and athletic." PAM neither challenged nor criticised Labour's proposal for Warner Park. PAM had the same ideas for up-dating and modernising Warner Park for international cricket and other such purposes.
After PAM lost the 2004 General Elections the leaders of the party jumped up to criticise the new Warner Park Cricket Stadium saying that they would have built the Stadium elsewhere.
PAM is so deceitful. The party would do anything and say anything in order to gain vote. One defeated PAM candidate, writing recently in the Democrat had this to say:-
"One of the first legislative moves of the Simmonds Government was to abolish Personal Income Tax. This historic piece of legislation helped to bring financial relief to poor families by allowing tem to have more disposable income."
Deception, deception, deception; it has always been the case in St. Kitts-Nevis that poor people never paid Personal Income Tax. Their incomes were too small for that. So the abolition of Personal Income Tax would never and would never benefit those persons with small incomes who never paid the Tax. The abolition pf Personal Income Tax was intended by PAM to benefit the rich people who paid Personal Income Tax.
The defeated PAM candidate ought to, in good conscience, tell the public that St. Kitts-born Economist, Dr. Terry Somersall advised the Simmonds Government against the abolition of Personal Income Tax. Dr. Somersall stated that the "historic piece of legislation" would benefit the rich and not the poor. It is common knowledge that with the possible exception of Antigua and Barbuda, no other British Caribbean Country save St. Kitts-Nevis has deemed it just and equitable to abolish Personal Income Tax.
Deception will work sometimes, but not always and only for a time. The PAM Government abolished Personal Income Tax in order to benefit the rich. When total Government Annual Revenues dropped enormously and drastically as a consequence, and thereby created a shortfall in Revenues, the PAM Government imposed a Social Services Levy on the poor. The poor gained nothing and were made to pay for the financial benefit handed out to the rich; Deception, deception, deception.
