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Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil L. Douglas making a point at last night's meeting. |
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, OCTOBER 8TH 2004 (CUOPM) – Confident of a third consecutive term, St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil L. Douglas announced at a massive public meeting that the people of the twin-island Federation will go to the polls on October 25th.
“I have instructed his Excellency to dissolve the Federal Parliament effective today, Thursday 7th October. I have instructed him to issue a writ for fresh elections. I have instructed him to set Friday, October 15 as Nomination Day in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis,” Prime Minister Douglas told the nearly 8,000 supporters at Maynard’s Park, Cayon, six miles outside Basseterre.
He said the voters of St. Kitts and Nevis will get the opportunity to return the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party to office on Monday, the 25th day of October.
Prime Minister also announced that earlier in the week, in keeping with common practice around the region he has dispatched correspondences to the Secretaries General of CARICOM and the COMMONWEALTH “inviting those two august bodies to send observers to the Federation to overlook our electoral process.”
“This will enable us to maintain the enviable record that St Kitts and Nevis has enjoyed in the conduct of its electoral affairs,” said Prime Minister Douglas.
“I approach the end of my second term as leader of this great nation, with a sense of pride and humility. Pride in the fact that in nine and a half short years, I have been able to hold a government of fine, hardworking men and women together. I have been able to transform the team of Labour from young and inexperienced managers of the public’s purse, to a well-respected, credible and competent team, admired at home and abroad,” said Prime Minister Douglas.
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Jubilant Labour Party supporters at last night's meeting |
He said the public service in St. Kitts and Nevis has been transformed from an army of occupation; committed to various causes and interests, to a corps of professionals, who today sign on to the common programme of developing St. Kitts and Nevis, to the best of its ability, for the benefit of all Kittitians and all Nevisians.
He saluted public officers, established and non-established and took pride in ascribing to the status of permanence, where no one can tamper with their job security.
“My ministers and I are grateful for the cooperation that we have received. Together we have rebuilt this nation. Together, we have brought this country from despair; brought on by economic turbulence caused by natural disasters, the rise in global terrorism, the misfortunes of sugar and continuous undermining of our finance industry by external forces. Together, we have weathered many a storm…both literally and metaphorically,” said Prime Minister Douglas.
He said the future looks bright for St. Kitts and Nevis. “We stand poised for take-off. We are at the start of what is likely to be the most robust cruise and stay over tourism season in the history of the Federation,” said Prime Minister Douglas as he saluted his Ministry of Tourism, the Hon. Dwyer Astaphan.
“Four and a half years ago the Royal St. Kitts Marriott was dismissed by some as a pipe dream. Tonight,
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Minister of Agriculture and Palriamentary Representative Hon. Cedric Liburd (c) about to give the bell to Prime Minister Douglas. Liburd took the bell from Deputy Political Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Sam Condor (l) Party Chairman and Minister of Education, Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris is right. All Photos by Erasmus Williams |
the Royal St. Kitts Marriott is running at over 90 percent occupancy, and that is likely to be sustained for the next four months.
This means continuous employment for 1,000 Kittitians and Nevisians, and myriads of spin off opportunities for several sectors of the local economy,” Prime Minister Douglas told the Nation.
He said that coupled with the Angelus Hotel, the refurbished Royal St. Kitts Golf Course, which is today second to none in the English speaking Caribbean. “Tonight, on the immediate horizon is the Lavalle golf, residential and marina development, surpassing the Marriott in terms of projections for economic impact, particularly in Sandy Point and along the western shore of St. Kitts,” said Prime Minister Douglas, who pointed to the number of ancillary services all in operation or coming on stream in the course of the next few months.
“Dwyer Astaphan, Comrades and friends, has earned the right to another term,” said Prime Minister Douglas.
