People will vote for change in the next election…says PM
PAM’s Deputy Leader claims Douglas abuses PM’s office

By Ryan Haas
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

Prime Minister of St. Kitts-Nevis, Hon. Dr Denzil Douglas

“The leader of the PAM party said that he is confident people will vote for change in the next election. Let me say that the people will vote for change, yes, because we believe in change. That is what my party has been doing for the past 14 years,” Douglas said. “We have been able to manage change that was necessary in this country.”

Douglas said that his Labour Party would be the best suited to handle the Federation’s affairs when facing issues like the economic union between the OECS and Trinidad, the current global financial crisis and developing more agricultural independence.

“The country is going to need experience and strong leadership to take us through this period,” he said, citing the transition from sugar agriculture to a tourism-based economy as a sign of his party’s expertise.

The PM added that “this is really no time to gamble with inexperience and those who are simply power hungry”.

From that point on, Douglas launched a series of attacks questioning PAM’s history as a ruling party in the Federation, saying that they had a record of “stark victimisation” and that “seven out of 10 families in this country can point their finger to PAM” and claim abuse.
Deputy Leader of PAM, Eugene Hamilton, called Douglas’ attacks “partisan snipes” and “an abuse of the office Prime Minister”.

“For him to hold a press conference in his capacity as the Prime Minister and cast aspersions on any opposition party is to bring the office of the Prime Minister into ill repute. It is not as if he was making these remarks at a Labour Party meeting, this was a Prime Minister’s Press Conference,” Hamilton said.   ~~Adz:Right~~

The PAM representative said that his party had a history of serving the people and to claim otherwise is to ignore their service record.

“History will show that when we came to power in 1980 we gave wage increases to sugar workers…above and beyond what the Labour Party had done for them. History will show that the middle class was growing under the PAM administration and we certainly did not have 33 percent of our population living below the poverty line.”

Regarding the experience issue mentioned by the PM, Hamilton said the Labour Party’s experience had brought the Federation of St. Kitts-Nevis “costly rental generators, an enormous national debt” and an electoral reform process that allowed “a Prime Minister who confirmed his registration in East Basseterre when his residence is in St. Pauls”.