There are a number of things that I have held very close to my chest out of a reluctance to stir up any political animosity. However, I now feel a burning sensation within me; and while I expect that this article, to some extent, may capture the ire of our political leadership and party supporters within the Federation, I must use the avenues available to me to vent publicly and relieve myself of this deeply burning sensation.
Disrespect of our Leaders
One of my major concerns in St. Kitts and Nevis is the disrespect that is often directed towards our leaders because we do not support their party. I have often hung my head in shame and disappointment, when I listen to people refer to the Hon. Joseph Parry as “ayu ole Premier”, “dem dey Premier” and “da stupid a&# Parry”, especially in the presence of children!
To my chagrin, I also heard a young lady in secondary school, no older than 17 years of age, refer to the Hon. Vance Amory, as “da dutty Vance dey”, leaving me with the impression that she and Hon. Amory grew up pitching marbles or playing “dolly house” together!
When we allow party affiliation to lead us to make these utterances about our leaders in front of our young people, we are indoctrinating them to show disrespect and disregard from an early age.
The last time I checked, the Hon. Joseph Parry was not merely the Premier of St. Thomas’ or the Premier of the NRP. He is THE PREMIER OF NEVIS! Accordingly, he should not be referenced as “dem dey Premier” or “ayu Premier”! Likewise, by the last voter count, the Hon. Vance Amory was ELECTED and therefore, he ought to be RESPECTED!
I certainly don’t share all the views and opinions expressed by these two gentlemen but we must learn to be more decorous in our daily discourse and give to ALL parliamentarians the respect that is owed to them by virtue of the public office which they hold.
The Bitter Tone of Parliamentary Debate
On the other side of the coin, I have also been immensely dissatisfied with the conduct of Parliamentarians within the corridors of both the Federal and the Nevis Island Assembly. Certainly, it would be futile if I admonish ordinary citizens for not showing respect to our politicians, when they themselves are often guilty of showing no respect for each other.
I swear, when you tune into the radio to listen to a nourishing and riveting Parliamentary debate, you sometimes get the impression that you are listening to a set of drunkards in a rum shop or by a fish market!
The constant cross-talk is too much and all the political showmanship is not necessary.
Mark you; I do not expect Parliament to operate without the cut and thrust of debate. That is a defining feature of our democracy. However, too much time is spent casting blame and pouring shame!
I wholeheartedly believe that at the end of the day, the single mother of two from Bath Village and the fishermen from Old Road are not concerned with who caused or created the problem. Rather, they want to know what solutions their elected leaders will devise to alleviate their most pressing challenges.
While there are Parliamentarians, like Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris, who generally conduct themselves as true statesmen and stick to the issues, I really cannot say the same about some others.
I think we need to reconfigure how Parliament works. Instead of a situation where the Prime Minister/Premier makes his presentation with total support and typical grandstanding from the government benches, after which the nation will hear just about everyone ring out like a church congregation - “I, I, I. . .The I’s have it”, we should consider a model similar to the United States.
This would require that powerful Parliamentary Committees are established, before which the Minister of Finance MUST testify and be interrogated on matters of the economy. Let the Prime Minister and the Premier answer the tough, hard questions! This I believe would add more transparency and civility to the process and give Parliament a well needed face lift!
Leaders Honouring Themselves
I will never forget, as long as I live, the sheer disappointment and disgust that I felt in 2002, when the then Premier of Nevis, the Hon. Vance Amory, renamed the Newcastle airport, the Vance W. Amory International.
Similarly, I hung my head in disbelief when I learnt that the Rt. Hon. Sir. Dr. Kennedy Simmonds named the highway on the South East Peninsula in his honour, when all the time I thought it was done after he demitted office.
What is worse is that to this day, I still hear staunch supporters of both gentlemen try to justify their misdeeds, by claiming that they played a critical role in securing financing for these projects and that is why these places of significance “rightfully” bear their names. My God!
Following this line of logic, I suppose that it would be perfectly fine for Premier Parry to decide that since he, as Minister of Finance, secured funding and gave directive for the road from Barnes Ghaut down to the foot of Jessups to be constructed, it should be renamed, “The Joseph Walcott Parry Boulevard”!
Maybe it would be quite okay for Prime Minister Douglas to boldly profess that since he was instrumental in reconstructing the Port Zante terminal and making it a hub for cruise tourism, it will from this day forward be known to all and sundry as “Port Denzil”!
Perhaps, we would all be content if when the Performing Arts Theatre is complete, Minister Daniel claims that he was influential in securing for us a state of the art cultural facility and accordingly name it, “The Hensley E. Daniel Performing Arts Complex”! Surely, you sense my sarcasm!
Leaders ought NOT to name public places after themselves while sitting in office! It is wrong and a thousand times more – IT IS WRONG! While I don’t know of any law that makes it illegal, such acts are certainly UNETHICAL!
It is clear to me that some politicians get to a stage in their career where they become so drunk with a sense of their own self-importance and intoxicated by their egos that they can’t help but overstep their boundaries.
I therefore suggest to the Parliament of St. Kitts and Nevis to pass a law inhibiting pubic officials from naming public edifices after themselves and perhaps, make it a ground for impeachment.
While these matters which I have put out there for public consumption will certainly cause personal irritation for some, I am hopeful that they will be acted upon. I truly believe that an honest and objective analysis of these issues would reveal that they are not simply my personal political pet peeves but issues which require us to set clear standards and guidelines for our leaders to follow!
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