Basseterre, St.Kitts (TUCOM):- The address to the nation by Foreign Affairs Minister Patrice Nisbett on Monday morning was much ado about nothing. The Minister acknowledged that he had nothing new to add to an earlier press release on the matter. Unfortunately Minister Nisbett tried to fool our citizens regarding a serious matter and a clear threat to our Citizenship by Investment Programme.
He does not understand that the (CBI) Citizenship by Investment Programme belongs to the people. The people deserve answers to their questions! The greed, corruption and selfishness of this administration led by Dr Douglas have brought the people of St. Kitts and Nevis unnecessary travel hassle, scrutiny and expense. Dr Douglas has used the CBI to benefit himself and his cabal to the detriment of the people. Dr Douglas and Minister Nisbett have been entrusted by the people. They have breached that trust.
They had an opportunity to give the people the truth. Instead Nisbett says he has nothing new to add. It did not surprise us that he had nothing new to add. We understand the position he is in. It must be a tough position to know that you misleading your own brothers and sisters. It must be a tough position to mislead the people. We would not mislead our own people, which is why Team Unity’s Leader, Dr the Hon Timothy Harris fell out with the Douglas administration. That is why he said to the nation, “If I perish I perish, but truth must be told.” Dr Harris had to start with the man in the mirror. In order to affect change he had to be the change that he wanted to effect in others. As we continue to fight for the soul of our nation, that has to include leadership. We in team Unity are committed to deliver honest and competent leadership that puts the people of St. Kitts and Nevis first.
Patrice Nisbett failed miserably to explain why the government after 18 months of warning by Canada, did absolutely nothing to protect our people from losing their favoured and prestigious status of visa free access to Canada. He failed miserably to say why the recommendations which he made in July 2013 to the Cabinet to avert the likelihood of Canada denying us the long enjoyed privilege of visa free access to Canada were not addressed in a timely manner. He failed to tell us why the government delayed in taking remedial action to comprehensively address the abuses and laxity in controls at the Citizenship by Investment Programme.
He failed to explain why the corrupt government has not totally revamped the Citizenship by Investment Programme to ensure that gangsters, terrorists, money launders and illicit actors do not find a safe haven.
He has failed to comment on the serious charge that Canada has evidence that St. Kitts and Nevis passports are in the hands of terrorists and “people with ties to organized crime”. How many passports are suspected to be in their hands? Has the government sought to revoke those passports? Which countries do these terrorists originate from? Why did the government remove the country of origin field from our passport? Why did he lie in Parliament about the Moghadam matter? He told Parliament in November 2013, that there was “no danger to St. Kitts and Nevis citizens losing their visa-free status waiver to Canada”, so how come we have lost it now? What has changed? Was he speaking out of turn then, or is he doing so now? Should he not resign over this immigration fiasco and fall in our standing and reputation in the international community happening under his watch?
St. Kitts and Nevis has lost a prestigious standing with Canada. We have now joined other countries with lesser prestige in visa requirements? Barbados, Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, BVI and Anguilla did not lose that prestige; they still enjoy visa free access to Canada! But St. Kitts and Nevis under this illegitimate Douglas administration did. Douglas’ failure to implement best practices in our Citizenship by Investment Programme has been identified as the cause by the Canadian government for the loss of the visa-free access to Canada. The Canadian government imposed visa restriction because it does not trust Douglas. We understand that the USA and European Union are also looking at our Citizenship by Investment Programme.
Regrettably, Patrice Nisbett sought to deceive the people of this country. It is a shame that he has now wrapped himself in the shroud of Douglas’ lies and propaganda. Nisbett and Douglas have put the Citizenship by Investment Programme at risk and with it the social and economic stability and prosperity of our country and people are put in jeopardy.
The outgoing Minister failed to explain why a simple matter of making a notation of a change in name in a passport took this corrupt government so long to do. He failed to say whether this scandalized government has provided Canada, USA and the European Union with a list by countries of all who have made changes to their names on receipt of our citizenship.
He failed to say who benefitted from the US$ 1 million paid by Alizera Moghadam and which official in government is an associate of Alizera Moghadam. He failed to explain who invited Alizera Moghadam to St. Kitts and Nevis and how Moghadam got very special seating by high official at a state sponsored function. Who advised Dr Douglas to make Alizera Moghadam an Honorary Consul?
Patrice Nisbett, like the other members of Douglas illegitimate administration, has failed the people once again. What has he offered our people whose travel plans have been disrupted and who have been inconvenienced, and who have to bear unnecessary and unplanned additional expenses as a result of his and Douglas’ negligence and incompetence? What about our nationals in Canada who are undocumented, should they leave Canada knowing they may not be able to return? What hope can be offered to these our citizens in USA who now cannot visit Canada?
There is a plethora of questions that remain unanswered including:
- How many diplomatic passports were issued to illicit actors?
- When will these be recalled?
- What of Arthur Porter’s passport and Moghadam’s? When will they be recalled?
- How many passports were issued without the country of origin field?
- What plans are in place to recall these passports and replace them with new ones bearing the country of origin field?
- Who will pay for the negligence and misfeasance on the part of Douglas and Patrice, et al?
- Who will pay CAN$100 needed to apply for the visa?
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