BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - FORMER Senior Minister in the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party administration, Dr. Timothy Harris, who was fired in January of this year by Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas after a falling-out, said he is ready at any time to debate Dr. Douglas on issues of governance in the twin-island Federation.
“I am willing, ready and able to debate the outgoing Prime Minister and I throw out the challenge to the Prime Minister,” said Dr. Harris, in responding to a question posed to him by a local journalist.
A public difference over governance issues - lands, the Constitution, the make-up of Parliament and management of the economy, among other matters - has led to alienation and tension among the Prime Minister and two of his former senior Cabinet colleagues of over 18 years.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Sam Condor resigned from his ministry after claiming that he could no longer put up with Dr. Douglas’ undermining of his ministries and his modus operandi in governing the country.
Both Dr. Harris and Condor have formed their own party, the People’s Labour Party (PLP), with Dr. Harris as leader.
They have also joined up with the Concerned Citizen’s Movement (CCM) and the People’s Action Movement (PAM) to form a Unity Team going into the next general elections.
The Unity Team has said that it has come together because the people are calling for a new brand of politics that would put bitter partisanship aside and promote unity as the solution to dealing with national issues.
There have been rancorous and fraught battles between the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party and the three political parties of the Unity Team, especially over the economy; the abusive ad-hominem has never been worse.
Dr. Harris, who was named Leader of the Unity Team, will be the country’s next prime minister if his team garners enough seats in the next general elections, whenever they are called.
“Let us have a debate on the state of the economy. Let us have a debate about the proposal for taking the economy out of the financial and fiscal morass in which you have led it into a day of prosperity,” Dr. Harris said in throwing out a challenge to his estranged boss.
“I challenge Dr. Douglas to a debate about governance in the country, whether in fact after 30 years, he can be satisfied as the Leader of the country at the level of which we are engaged politically and otherwise in St. Kitts and Nevis.
“Can he be satisfied that he has presided over the non-hearing of the Motion of No Confidence? Can he be satisfied that he is a pariah among his peers in CARICOM as being the only Head of Government that does not have the support of the majority of the elected MP’s? They are critical issues and we are ready to debate. I am prepared to debate him,” Dr. Harris said.
