BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE culture of having political debates has yet to hit St. Christopher-Nevis but some politicians seem open to the idea. And as recent as yesterday, Deputy Leader of the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) the Hon. Mark Brantley said he is more than willing and able to take on his political opponent in robust debate.
Earlier this week, in an article published by this media house, the Nevis Reformation Party’s (NRP) Robelto Hector – who has been selected to contest the Constituency Nine seat in the Federal elections against Brantley – described Brantley as a “Federal failure”.
He further expressed that other than agitation in the area of the Motion of No Confidence, Brantley has done very little to represent the people of Constituency Number Nine or the people of Nevis.
In his response, Brantley, the Deputy Premier in the Nevis Island Administration, said whether or not he is a failure, as Hector suggested, is a matter for the electorate to decide.
“…and I have never been in government. I have been successful in leading Parliament but on the Opposition Benches, and it would be for the people of the country to determine whether or not I am providing good representation on the Opposition Benches and whether or not our contribution – whether it is in terms of Integrity in Public Life, Freedom of Information, the issue of crime, the issues of the economy and debt – has been one that has mattered. So that would be a question for the electorate.”
Brantley broached the question of what Hector did while he served as part of the NIA leading up to 2013.
He said the record clearly shows that Hector’s service was predominantly to self.
“He – unlike me – has a record in government. He is asking about my record in Opposition. You know how the system is structured and you cannot achieve a whole lot in Opposition. But he has a record in government, so we will examine that record.
“He has been in government for six and a half years and I can assure you that we will be looking very carefully at his record; a record that demonstrates that he has been all of self and none of thee. So we will definitely be looking very closely and point out where he was and where he now is after six and a half years…”
Brantley – who was elected to the NIA in January 2013 – told SKNVibes that he is open to having a debate with Hector on performance and promises, among other issues.
“So that is a debate I would be very happy to have. If he wants a debate…of course, I have no difficulty because I would be more than prepared to examine his record.”
