BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - PARLIAMENTARY Representative for St. Christopher Two and Minister of Health, Community and Social Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, Hon. Marcella Liburd has revealed that efforts to resolve the now public debacle among Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas and his two senior Ministers were made to some degree.
Appearing Tuesday (Feb. 12) on Freedom FM's daily talk show 'Issues', Liburd said that the Labour Administration made the possible efforts to have their issues resolved but they were not matched by Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris and Hon. Sam Condor.
When asked if the now public issues could have been prevented, Liburd said the fiasco stemmed as far back as May 2012, using what transpired at the Labour Convention as an example, but noted that they indeed believed that it could have been resolved.
"We were strongly of the view that this thing could have been resolved. As a matter of fact, at the last Conference we had in May, there was a strong move to remove both Ministers from the post they held in the Labour Party.
"There was a strong move from the people to do that. And after much consultation and much pleading, including the Chairman, Minister Harris, a lot of people who were adamant that this can’t go on, we pleaded with them because we wanted to have the unity going forward, and so that was backtracked."
Liburd said that several attempts were made by the Labour Administration to have the impasse resolved but both Condor and Harris were no-shows.
"I know several attempts have been made to have this thing resolved before it reached here. And as far as I know, every time the two Ministers involved have refused to show up. So it is not for want of trying on our part; every time (I don’t want to call other people’s name now, I’ll do it with their permission, if they allow me to) but several persons were used to mediate, agreed to mediate. In many instances they [Condor and Harris] agreed with who the mediator should be and then they don’t show up. So where do you go from there?"
Minister Liburd however assured that Condor and Harris no longer being Cabinet Ministers have not pushed the Federation into crisis.
"I don’t think that we have a crisis. I hear people talk about crisis all the time. What I think we have is a situation where there are definitely persons who want to be in charge without following the rules; because like everywhere else, there are rules to be followed. For example, if you want to be the Leader of the Labour Party (I could only speak for the Labour Party), we have rules from time immemorial...well established rules.
"We have our conference every year and anyone can run for any post including the Leader of the Party. And so, if someone to become the Leader of the Party, then you run to be the Leader of the Party. There are persons who want to be the Leader but don’t want to follow the rules. And so they try to be the Leader some other way. That is the way I see it.”
When asked about a set timeframe for being Leader of the Labour Party and if a successor plan is in place, Minster Liburd assured that there are such for the latter, noting that the length of leadership depends on production rather than the length of time in the Party.
"Yes, the Labour Party provides for that! How long you are there depends not so much on the timeframe, but on your ability to produce at the end of the day, and that goes for anything...politics is no exception. You could be there two years and be there too long, because the point is, you are not really productive, you are not really producing. So how long you are there has a lot to do with your ability to produce, your ability to ensure that whatever organisation you are heading is going in the right direction. So it is not just a question of time."
On January 25, 2013 Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas announced that he had fired former Senior Minister and Chairman of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party, Dr. Harris for a number of reasons, including his open opposition to two recent government-sponsored Bills and his refusal to state how he would vote on the Motion of No Confidence.
Just one day after the Senators (Increasing of Number), Bill was passed, former Deputy Prime Minister Condor tendered his resignation because of issues which he said pertained to good governance and constitutional integrity.
