BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FORMER Deputy Prime Minister now Deputy Leader of the recently-formed People’s Labour Party (PLP), the Hon. Sam Condor said Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas has squandered the public’s funds and is careless with the truth.
He was at the time delivering his address at the launch of the PLP held this morning (Jun. 17) at the Ocean Terrace Inn.
Condor reminded that he and the Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris are two immediate past Senior Ministers in the Dr. Douglas-led Government and that they had taken a firm stand against his methods of governance.
“Particularly his systematic disenfranchisement of our people…the land for debt swap; his unconventional disdain for accountability and transparency…SIDF; his squandering of public fund; his lewd, crude and disorderly misconduct in Parliament, on political rostrums and in other public places…and the poor example this provides for our children and the negative image it portrays of our country; his divisive practices to assure control by his appointment of Permanent Secretaries and other Senior Public Officers, undermining of Cabinet conventions, manipulation of party structure, his carelessness with the truth, his apparent incurable disposition of disrespect particularly to those who dare to express views contrary to his own; his consistent violation of the Constitution in the non-appointment of a Deputy Speaker and the non-compliance with the provision for the Motion of No Confidence,” Condor said.
Condor declared that the above mentioned and many more of Dr. Douglas’ characteristics and methods, characterised flawed management and reproachable leadership which are at variance with the ethos of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) that nurtured him.
“This was a party of collective effort with emphasis on the upliftment of the people; a party in which the leaders were more skilled at raising the wretched than in rising themselves,” he added.
He stated that it was a party of Manchester, Sebastian, Challenger, Bradshaw, Southwell, France, Moore, Bryant and Payne, but “today it is the party of Douglas, the supreme or maximum leader as he describes himself…Ten-man-in-one, a one-man show in defiance of any reasonable guidance and intolerance of dissent while the country spirals out of control”.
The former Deputy Prime Minister said that he would not diminish any good that Dr. Douglas did during his stewardship, but no one should also overlook his flawed management and reproachable leadership.
“In my own judgment, and I believe in the judgment of many, he has failed us…all of us, in irredeemable ways. And at this juncture, he appears now bent on maintaining an ill-conceived supremacy at all cost. In that respect, he is presently no good for the country. He is bad for this country at this time,” he intoned.
Condor noted that over the years he and Harris had tried to steer the SKNLP and government back on course, but it was to no avail.
“We must fix our broken politics. We simply cannot move forward like this! Hence, this move towards a Unity alliance…there is still strength in unity; this is biblical!
Speaking to the formation of the PLP, Condor said it was born out of the imperative of reordering the institutions and systems of good governance, which are crucial to the strengthening and further development of St. Kitts and Nevis.
“It is born out of a desire to reposition St. Kitts and Nevis for attaining prosperity with equity, as was incrementally done by former Heads of Government. Regrettably, this country has fallen into careless hands, and transparency, accountability and statesmanship have been sacrificed.”
Earlier in his address, Condor said that today (Jun. 17) is a day of new beginnings and they were at the OTI to report to the nation and the world that they are taking a much needed step in seeking to rebuild and restore trust and faith in the political system in the Federation.
It was also announced at the launch that Dr. Harris is the party’s Leader, Douglas Wattley Chairman, Clecton Phillip National Secretary and Venelma Hanley Treasurer.
