BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Unity Government that some public figures have been touting over the past several months as a fitting alternative to the present government which heads the affairs of St. Christopher and Nevis, has been cast aside by Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas as one that is destined for failure.
As a matter of fact – he confidently expressed – the Unity Government would not even make it into power.
Prime Minister Douglas made the statement during a two-hour appearance on FreedomFM’s ‘Issues’ talk show on Friday (Mar. 15).
“They (Dr. Timothy Harris and Sam Condor) have said basically that we are no longer with this Labour Party that is on its way out. They say, ‘We want to be part of this Unity Government that is on its way in.’ But I say to you…it will not get in because it is really a disunity government. It is a government of convenience, where each man having his own little personal interest wants to sit together; but we have evidence of what happens in Unity Governments.”
The Political Leader of St. Kitts-Nevis made reference to Unity Governments across the region that failed.
“Just the other day in Grenada, 15-nil for my good friend Tillman Thomas government...it was a Unity Government. And then you look at Trinidad and Tobago, that government under Kamla is a Unity Government. They went into Tobago a few weeks ago for elections…bam…all-nil for them.
“This is what is happening. Even in our own history of Unity Government here in St. Kitts and Nevis. What happened when Simmonds had joined up with Daniel? As soon as he was able to get a majority in 1984…bam…Daniel was kicked in his backside and gone.”
PM Douglas suggested that the concept of Unity Government which has been floating about in the Federation – while that government has not yet been created – it is already riddled with confusion with representatives of the People’s Action Movement (PAM) indicating that the Unity Government must be a PAM-led one and with others calling dibs on the Prime Ministership.
“So here you have confusion already. The Unity Government is not yet created but they already have confusion. Who is going to head it? They have confusion already and they ain’t start…
“The Unity Government concept does not work! It’s confusion and that is why we keep saying to our people, what is happening is that these guys thought that the Labour Party would have fallen on 12th December 2012. They had dubbed it Freedom Day with PAM, but are still here by the grace of God and the support of our own people.
“Not only the supporters of the Labour Party, but people generally in this country are saying that’s not the way we would want this Labour government to go, having done so much, having navigated the most difficult of channels during this turbulent period from since 2008 ‘til present. That’s not (how) we think the Labour Party should be treated at this time. That is why they (people) are saying them guys ungrateful.”
