BASSETERRE, St. Kits – WHILE not using this exact line of language, Deputy Leader for the People’s Labour Party (PLP) the Hon. Sam T. Condor is charging that Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas is disingenuous in his explanation of reasons for the $3B-national debt that the Federation had racked up under his leadership.
Condor appeared on the Unity Construct’s platform last evening (Nov. 15) where he addressed a number of current issues surrounding the governance of St. Christopher and Nevis.
According to the Parliamentary Representative for St. Christopher Three, Douglas’ explanation for the National Debt is that having been hit by five hurricanes between 1995 and 2000, the country was in a constant state of repair. Furthermore, he indicated that the government’s thrust to provide adequate housing for the people of the land was a major source of the debt.
Condor, evidently in disagreement with Dr. Douglas’ explanation, presented an analysis of the national debt from the time of the ruling St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party’s (SKNLP) election to office in 1995 to present, the hurricanes which struck the Federation during the first five years of that period and the progress of the housing scheme.
He explained that when the SKNLP entered office the political party had inherited a national debt of $200M.
“…I’m making this point with the hurricanes and the houses because Douglas is saying that the national debt is a result of hurricanes and houses. How could that be? Between 1995 and 2000 we built some 1 200 houses. We have built since 1995 ‘til now, 2 400 houses. We have had five hurricanes between 1995 and 1999. Since that we haven’t had a hurricane...thank God. But in 2000 the national debt was $600m… just recently it was $3B.”
The Deputy Leader’s expressed conviction is that the national debt was as high as it was because of corrupt practices.
“You know why it is that we have a national debt of $3B? The corruption! It has nothing to do with no hurricane, it has nothing to do with no housing. It is the corruption! It is the failed projects like La Vallee! That is the problem with the national debt! Nothing to do with the National Debt!
“And we supported the investment, the borrowing in rebuilding our country after each hurricane. I supported that, the entire Cabinet supported that including Dwyer. Denzil Douglas had our full support in those matters! And I say between 1995 and 2000 the national debt with five hurricanes and all ‘dem houses was $600M. That’s all it was. But since that it rise to $3B, we aine had no more hurricanes and we only build 1 200 more houses. So weh it come from? It is the corruption!”
Condor said that even during the SKNLP’s first term in office concerns about the National Debt abounded and the Cabinet was engaged in serious discussion concerning means of lowering it.
“The country was concerned because we were always aware that you cannot continue to rack up a national debt like that, because the more you owe is the less you would be able to borrow. And so we were always wary, conscious, concerned about the National Debt. We were there all the time trying to address this problem before it could have reached $3B. And even at that time we were even making suggestions and recommendations about getting Social Security invest in lands and to invest some of the money, because Social Security is a long term pension plan... Is the people’s money, invest it in the people and in the country.”
Had trust not been invested in the Prime Minister, Condor declared that the state of affairs would not have progressed to this point “because we saw the signs early...the signs were there”.
