Tranparency and good governance on his agenda
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LEADER of the Opposition in the National Assembly of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Hon. Mark Brantley was chosen to speak on behalf of his fellow Opposition Leaders at the Inauguration of the OECS Assembly slated for tomorrow (Aug. 10) in St. John's, Antigua.
Speaking with this media house, Brantley explained that the purpose of him speaking for all Opposition Leaders at the OECS Assembly is not an appointment, but a selection for him to make remarks on their behalf.
“I have been chosen by the Leaders of the Opposition to speak on this ceremonial occasion of the inauguration of the OECS Assembly on their behalf. It is not as if there is some continuous appointment in that regard; it is merely that we were asked as Leaders of the Opposition to select one of our numbers for purposes of making remarks on behalf of all at that special inaugural sitting, which is going to be principally ceremonial.”
He noted that the only business to be transacted at the sitting would be the election of the Speaker and deputy Speaker and the adoption of certain procedural rules.
Brantley however declared that he would use the opportunity to raise concerns of the Opposition Leaders pertaining to good governance, among other issues.
“I think that the concerns that we have as Leaders of the Opposition are very similar throughout the region. We have concerns associated with electoral reform, the electoral system. We have concerns associated with transparency and good governance, and those are the messages that I believe would be important for me to reference insofar as any articulation of the issues that we in the opposition collectively find to be of paramountcy for our region.”
According to a press release from the Concerned Citizens Movement of which Brantley holds the position of Deputy Leader, a programme circulated by the OECS Secretariat in St. Lucia states that the historic event would commence at 4:00 p.m. tomorrow and the procession of Parliamentarians of the OECS would take place promptly at 4:15 p.m., which would be followed by the arrival of the OECS Chairman, the Hon. Dr. Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and host Prime Minister of the OECS Assembly the Hon. Baldwin Spencer.
Both Prime Ministers, the programme stated, would inspect a Guard of Honour comprising officers and ranks of the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda.
The OECS Assembly will be called to Order by the Clerk to the Assembly, Mr. Kurt Thomas, followed by the invocation by The Reverend Canon Bernard Hodge.
The Assembly will then engage in limited business adopting certain selected Rules of Procedure of the Assembly and electing a Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
Thereafter, the inaugural Assembly will hear statements from PM Spencer; Dr.
Gonsalves, Chairman of the OECS; the Hon. Reuben Meade, who will speak on behalf of Non-Independent Members of the OECS; and the Hon. Mark Brantley.
The Assembly will then be adjourned and followed by a gala reception.
The meeting of the OECS Assembly is an historic event of tremendous import for the peoples of the Eastern Caribbean, as it signals the widening and deepening of socio-economic, cultural and now legislative ties between the countries and territories of the Eastern Caribbean.
The release noted that Brantley thanks his OECS colleagues in Opposition for the confidence shown in him as their representative at this inauguration and looks forward to working closely with fellow Parliamentarians, as the OECS deepens the integration process between the peoples of the various countries and territories of the Eastern Caribbean.
The OECS Parliamentarians from St. Kitts and Nevis are the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, the Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris, the Hon. Marcella Liburd, the Hon. Mark Brantley and the Hon. Eugene Hamilton.
