PM Douglas to seek legal advice on property rental statements!
By Stanford Conway
Editor-in-Chief-SKNVibes.com
~~Adz:Right~~ BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – PRIME Minister and leader of the Labour Party Government, Dr. Denzil Douglas said he would soon be seeking legal advice on certain statements made with regard to the property he leased to the Taiwanese Government.
“I want to make it absolutely clear that on this matter, which I do not intend to say very much on, I had consultations with my lawyer who would be coming in to St. Kitts in a very short period, and would be making the appropriate statement after that with regard to the allegations that have been made against me, my government and in particular on the matter of the Taiwanese who have leased a property that I own.”
Dr. Douglas was at the time addressing members of the media at his Monthly Press Conference held in the Parliamentary Lounge on Monday.
The Prime Minister told the press he wanted to make it clear that there was no reason for continued attacks on the Embassy of the Republic of China on China, which is housed in a building he owns on Adams Hill.
“I would like to take this opportunity to express my personal outrage and that of my government at certain specific allegation that has been formed as a part of a campaign of deception, misinformation that has been going through our country in recent times.
“I want to make it absolutely clear that there is no good reason whatsoever for there to be continued attack on the Embassy of the Republic of China on Taiwan in particular; a country that has worked so well with the government and the people of St. Kitts and Nevis over the last 25 years.”
He posited that the allegations were a culture of misinformation and deception practiced by desperate people.
“I believe that this culture of misinformation and deception is in fact the practice of those who are desperate, and we are aware that desperate people do things in desperate times.”
The Prime Minister announced his ownership of the property and disclosed the source of its acquisition as well the year in which it was purchased.
“I want to make it absolutely clear that this is property that I have owned for many, many years. In fact, it was acquired by me through the Royal Bank of Canada since 1991/92. It has been in my possession and since then it has been destroyed, as you are aware, by hurricane back in 1998. It has since been rebuilt and it was always my intention to build this property, and up to now I cannot understand the nature of the allegations that have been made. But as I said, this is really an attempt of desperate people who are clutching at political straws, which really do not exist.”
Dr. Douglas also stressed that he would make a public statement at the appropriate time after legal advice from his counsel.
Since the last Prime Minister’s Monthly Press Conference when the question was asked about Dr. Douglas renting his property to the Taiwanese Government and he said it was a private matter, an article was written in the People’s Action Movement’s weekly organ – The Democrat – headlined “Taiwanese Aiding Dictatorship”.
This article was deemed by the Taiwanese Ambassador, John K Liu, as “groundless, irresponsible and regrettable”. And responses were also made by the Office of the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Security, who also indicated that he would consult his lawyers on the matter.
Leader of the PAM, Lindsay Grant, also followed up with an explanation, noting he did not see the article causing any problems because they [the PAM] did not put themselves in a position to say that they were either relinquishing or maintaining ties with the Republic of China on Taiwan.
He also claimed that renting of the property smells of coercion, “We are saying that that ought not to have happened, because had the Taiwanese rented from someone else in the private sector this matter would not have risen. And it is only because of the close connection between the Prime Minister and the Taiwanese why this appears to have happened. It is the perception of the arrangement that stinks!”
