BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – MEMBERS of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition of the St. Kitts-Nevis Parliament are awaiting word from the OECS Assembly on whether or not they would have the matter of the lingering Motion of No Confidence heard at its next sitting.
Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Number Eight the Hon. Eugene Hamilton forwarded correspondence to the Speaker of the OECS Assembly sometime last week, outlining the status of the Motion, the position of the Opposition and the effect the delay of the Motion’s tabling is having on the nation’s constitutional structure.
“The situation as it relates to the as yet un-debated Motion remains, as of the date of this letter, that the Government of Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas has refused to allow a motion of no confidence that was filed by the Leader of Opposition the Hon. Mark Brantley since 11 December, 2012.
“There are no constitutional or other legal impediments to the scheduling and debating of the said Motion. Rather, the political ramifications of the open support of the Motion by the elected majority are the sole cause of the obnoxious reticence on the part of the Government. The delaying of the Motion for nearly one year is untenable and has serious implications for good governance and the rule of law not only in St. Kitts and Nevis but also in our wider region,” the correspondence reads.”
It is on these grounds that the Opposition proposed that the matter be officially broached and discussed at the OECS Assembly level.
The Motion of No Confidence was filed by Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition in the Federal Parliament on behalf of the Opposition Members (four elected and one selected). And since then, two government backbenchers (elected MPs) have “crossed the floor” and joined their support with the Opposition.
Their open declaration was, should the Motion of No Confidence be tabled, they would support it; and with only elected MPs being allowed to vote on that particular matter, the likely result is that it would be passed on a 6-5 vote.
The Opposition – via the correspondence – further advised that in keeping with the Draft Rules of the Assembly, it has informed of its intention of having one of its representatives address the Assembly on the Motion and the result of its delay.
SKNVibes also understands that attached to the letter is a draft resolution which the Opposition hopes would be debated and voted upon, as well as to urge the government of St. Christopher to act expeditiously regarding the tabling of the Motion.
In less than a month, the one-year anniversary of the filing of the Motion of No Confidence would have been realised.
