March 10th, 2014 -- The St.Kitts-Nevis UNITED Opposition Team UNITY and the St.Vincent and the Grenadines Opposition New Democratic Party will be hosting an unprecedented Joint Press Conference on Monday March 10th at 11am in St.Vincent. Team UNITY Leader Dr. Hon. Timothy Harris along with NDP Leader Hon. Arnhim Eustace along with other members and officials are expected to be at the historic event.
The historic event is being organized and set to take place in an effort to further highlight the undemocratic, unconstitutional and unprincipled actions in St.Kitts-Nevis which sees an Illegitimate Minority Government led by Dr. Denzil Douglas and supported by the Speaker of the National Assembly, delaying the debate of a Motion of No Confidence for the last 15 months. Despite scores of protests over the last year that has drawn tens of thousands of persons to the streets of Basseterre, in addition to other demonstrations which have continued up to today.
Various civic groups and NGO’s including the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Bar Association, The Christian Council, the Evangelical Association have all called on the government to bring the Motion to the Parliament for debate. Well known regional luminaries including Queen Counsels Charles Wilkin, Emile Ferdinand as well as former OECS Justice Brian Alleyene and the former Attorneys-General of Jamaica and St.Kitts-Nevis Tapley Seaton and Delroy Chuck have all voiced their strong opinion and added their voice to the resounding call for the Motion to be heard.
In a recent Judgment regarding the Motion the learned Judge Justice Ramdhani stated in his 70 page document that the Motion of No Confidence should be given priority and debated and voted on within a reasonable time.
On Page 46 of the Judgment Justice Ramdhani said “By a number of express provisions, the Constitution expressly stipulates that if a majority of the elected Representatives vote in favor of a motion of no confidence in the government, a Prime Minister and his Government will cease to have the right to govern.
The Constitution expressly not only provides that on such vote the Prime Minister is to either resign or else Parliament is dissolved, but it also expresses an urgency that should follow such a vote of no confidence. It would therefore make nonsense of these provisions if a majority of members of the elected Representatives may have lost confidence in the Government, and being ready and willing to vote on such a motion have requested that such a motion be placed on the Order Paper, but no steps are being taken to have such a motion debated and voted on within a reasonable time as a matter of priority.
There is accordingly to be derived from the text, structure and context of the St. Kitts and Nevis Constitution, an implied substantive and procedural right in section 52(6) that each and every member of the National Assembly is entitled to request that a motion of no confidence be placed before the Assembly, and that such a motion must be accorded priority over other business by being scheduled, debated and voted on within a reasonable time given the programme of the Assembly.”
In the face of all this Dr. Denzil Douglas remains defiant and supported by the Speaker of the St.Kitts-Nevis Assembly has refused to have Motion tabled and debated.
The regional grouping of Caricom have largely remained silent on the matter except for a few seemingly uninformed and almost outrageous statements regarding the situation by St.Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister and Chairman of Caricom Hon. Ralph Gonsalves. Whilst issuing official statements regarding situations of human and democratic rights in other regional countries such as Venezuela and as far as the Ukraine, Hon. Gonslaves and Caricom have failed to issue any substantive and definitive statement regarding the 15 month long situation in St.Kitts-Nevis.
The historic Joint Press Conference is taking place at the GREENHOUSE in St.Vincent which is just half-mile from where the Caricom Heads of Government are scheduled to meet for a two-day summit.
The historic Joint Conference starts at 11am .
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