BASETERRE, St. Kitts – PRIME MINISTER and Minister of Finance the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas has announced that the 2013 Budget would be brought before the Federal Parliament on or around April 9, 2013.
“I will go to Parliament and I will pass my Budget very shortly. I think I can now say because I think we are now recognising that around the 9th of April would be the most opportune time. Let us get out of the period of Easter and so forth, get out of that and then we would go to the Parliament on or about the 9th of April to make sure our Budget is passed.”
PM Douglas made the announcement during an appearance on FreedomFM’s ‘Issues’ yesterday (Mar. 15).
The Budget presentation was scheduled for December 11, 2012 but was postponed by Dr. Douglas, who had explained via national television that two members of his Cabinet has missed two Cabinet sessions during which the Budget was discussed.
He further explained that the 2013 Budget would be tabled in the National Assembly only when “all Cabinet members are able to meet as one body, without any absence, in order to clarify each Member’s position on our Government’s 2013 Budget”.
Shortly before Dr. Douglas’ announcement, Leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition in the Federal Parliament – the Hon. Mark Brantley – filed a Motion of No Confidence in the Dr. Douglas-led Government. And shortly after his announcement a number of events have taken place, including the opposition posed by Dr. Timothy Harris and Sam Condor to the Government-sponsored Senators Increase in Number 2012 Bill. The former fired and the latter resigned.
Both have since joined with the elected Members of the Opposition in affixing their signature to a letter addressed to the Governor-General indicating that they no longer support Prime Minister Douglas and that they have intentions of voting in favour of the impending No Confidence Motion.
Albeit, Dr. Douglas expressed his confidence that the 2013 Budget would see successful and safe passage.
“And the Budget will pass, because the government at the moment is a majority government. Even if the two on the government side were to go over to the other side, there are nine of us as against five of them. So even though I would have lost two - two of my nine - I would still be at seven.”
