BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – DR. TIMOTHY HARRIS has expressed his view and concern that if the Federation continues in the vein that it is, the now democratic society would soon transition into one characterised by dictatorial rule.
Harris – Parliamentary Representative for St. Christopher Seven – was speaking to SKNVibes about the six-month delay in the tabling of the Motion of No Confidence when he expressed those sentiments.
“My view is it is a real tragedy and what is happening in the state now of St. Kitts and Nevis makes us a pariah nation. There is no other country within the CARICOM, and I will go so far as to say Commonwealth, where the Westminster Model of Democracy is practiced and we could have a Motion of No Confidence filed and it takes us nigh seven months to have that matter heard and debated.
“Indeed, we don’t have to go far to find the appropriate precedent, because in Trinidad and Tobago it was just last month that a Motion of No Confidence was filed and debated within two weeks. You have heard from Delroy Chuck – former Speaker in the House of Assembly in Jamaica - who indicated that a Motion of No Confidence must be dealt with expeditiously and, by any stretch of the imagination, what is happening in St. Kitts and Nevis is very wrong.
“I believe the entire democratic countries of the region appreciate that we are on a path of dictatorship and tyrannical rule when the Prime Minister and his agents could – in an abuse of executive power – undertake to delay the hearing of the Motion of No Confidence.”
Dr. Harris reminded that the society in which we live is one that supports the “majority rules” principle, and because majority of the elected Parliamentarians are not in support of Dr. Denzil L. Douglas he should do the “honourable thing” and either allow the Motion to be tabled or let the people decide – via an election – whether or not they prefer a new dispensation or the current one.
“Clearly, Dr. Denzil Douglas is afraid to take the Motion of No Confidence to Parliament because he knows the outcome. We gave him notice of that when we wrote to the Governor General indicating that a majority of persons, one, had no confidence in the Prime Minister and secondly, we were going to support the Motion of No Confidence and therefore that could succeed against Prime Minister Douglas. In the face of that public declaration, the Prime Minister ought to have done two things...one, test the validity of that through the debate and the vote on the Motion of No Confidence or go to the people, because he has lost the constitutional basis on which to continue to operate as Prime Minister. And in my view, therefore, he is an illegal Prime Minister parading in the country and across the globe and we have to bring an end to this nonsense.”
“You must bear in mind that it was after 104 days had elapsed that the elected Members of Parliament took the decision to move to the Court as to have the Court declare that our constitutional rights under Section 52(6) were being violated by the long delay in having the motion tabled, debated and determined.
“…Why is it Dr. Denzil Douglas continues to hijack the government and the democracy within the country? Why does he continue to treat our Parliament like that? And they know better! So it goes to their ulterior motives in starving our country of the democracy which it needs to usher in a new agenda and a new development.”
An obviously concerned Dr. Harris issued a call to “citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis and residents of goodwill, those who love democracy and those who do not want to lose their democratic rights…we have to clamour, we have to come together, we have to unite and reject this approach to the democratic order in St. Kitts and Nevis. We must not be a pariah country within the Commonwealth…”
