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| Chairperson of the Luncheon, Charlene Stapleton; Premier of Nevis, Hon. Joseph Parry; St. Kitts and Nevis' Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas and Chairman of the Nevis Divsion of the St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Mr. Greg B. Phillip. (Photo by Erasmus Williams) |
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JANUARY 17TH 2007 (CUOPM) St. Kitts and Nevis must explore every avenue for collaboration and cooperation among the two island-nation, Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas told business leaders on Nevis Tuesday.
Addressing the First Luncheon Meeting of the Nevis Division of the St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Prime Minister Douglas noted that the twin-island Federation has considerable experience that can be shared with the rest of the Caribbean.
We have a single economy in which capital and labour as well as goods and services move freely between the islands. We also share many common services including the Police, Army, and Foreign Service, said Dr. Douglas, who was of the view that more must be done and local enterprises must fully exploit the market in the Federation so that they may grow and prepare themselves to launch into regional and international markets.
We need to see more Nevis firms establish themselves as truly national enterprises by offering their goods and services throughout the entire Federation in St. Kitts as well as in Nevis. Similarly more St. Kitts firms must become national in scope by venturing across the Narrows to give the people of Nevis the benefits of their products and services, said Prime Minister Douglas to the audience which included the Premier of Nevis, the Hon. Joseph Parry and Junior Minister, the Hon. Dwight Cozier.
Dr. Douglas, who was invited by the Nevis Division of the Chamber to express his views on the working relationship between his Federal Government and the newly-appointed Nevis Reformation Party-led Nevis Island Administration told the Nevis business leaders that the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) arrangements, give regional firms the right of establishment in St. Kitts and Nevis and it would be ironic if non-national firms from throughout the region were to establish in both of islands and exploit the local market more fully than the local enterprises.
Prime Minister Douglas called for consultation and collaboration between the Federal Government of St. Kitts and Nevis and the Nevis Island Administration need on the issue of business licences so that when a licence is issued in any of the two islands, it give the licensee the automatic right to operate in the entire Federation.This right of course must be subject to~~adz:Right~~ development and planning control at the island level, in relation to the specific physical location of the enterprise, said Dr. Douglas, who was of the view that this initiative will assist significantly in fostering the development of truly national enterprises and in fostering greater competition and lower consumer prices for the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.
This would also give our enterprises a significant advantage in relation to their participation in the proposed OECS Economic Union and the CSME because our enterprises would have had experience operating in a multi-island market, said the St. Kitts and Nevis leader.
Dr. Douglas said an efficient inter-island transportation must be a critical element of this strategy and in this regard, the private sector has responded admirably to the inter-island transportation needs of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis and now offers a very efficient and reliable service.
He said that the proposed inter-island car ferry would also help to enhance the efficiency and availability of transportation between St. Kitts and Nevis.
