Nevis, West Indies. ?A Non-Tourist-Trap? Blog About Nevis.

Dr. Henry Browne and Mr. Sylvester Anthony
Photo By Erasmus Williams

Basseterre, St. Kitts - Nevis
November 27,2009 (CUOPM)

St. Kitts and Nevis High Court Judge, His Lordship Mr. Justice Frances Belle Friday rejected an application for an injunction from two opposition parliamentarians seeking to prevent the laying in the National Assembly of any new Report by the Constituency Boundaries Commission (CBC).

The decision of the Judge to grant a judicial review has been welcomed by lawyers for the Government.

“We are very pleased today that his Lordship Justice Belle did not grant the injunctions that were sought by Hon. Shawn Richards of the People’s Action Movement (PAM) and the Hon. Mark Brantley of the Concerned Citizens Movement in their joint application that they made for leave to apply for a judicial review. That I think was the single most achievement today,” said Mr. Sylvester Anthony.

He said the Judge’s acceptance for leave to apply for a judicial review is a normal routine process and oftentimes a judge will grant leave to apply for judicial review, without even hearing the person who made the application.

“In this case, the reason there needed to be a hearing is because there was an application within the Application for Leave for an Injunction and we are very pleased that after a day of hearing (Thursday), His Lordship determined that he was not going to grant the Injunction,” said Anthony.

He said the Legal Team has continued to give an undertaking already given to the Court that nothing will be done to interfere with the judicial process which has commenced.

“Our position was that our commitment could not be open ended and there had to an equal commitment on the part of the claimants (Brantley/Richards) that this matter will be heard expeditiously,” said lawyer Anthony.

He said the Government’s Legal Team was prepared to begin the hearing Friday afternoon (November 27th) or the earliest on Monday (November 30th), but that His Lordship has indicated that there were certain other commitments of matter already set and that the earliest hearing is Tuesday afternoon (December 1st 2009) of next week.

“We are also pleased that this trial will start on Tuesday (December 1) at two o clock in the afternoon. It should last probably a day and a half or two days, so we should complete it by Wednesday and we hope as his Lordship has demonstrated today that we can get a judgement soon thereafter. This matter concluded Thursday evening at six o clock and His Lordship rendered a decision this afternoon (Friday) at around 12 noon. So if the same pattern is followed, hopefully this matter could be completed and all decks cleared by next week Thursday or there about,” said Mr. Anthony.

Attorney Dr. Henry Browne noted that the Judge was very careful to be in the forefront of his direction the reminder that this matter is one of extreme urgency and the Legal Team representing the Government are pleased that Justice Belle has demonstrated the full comprehension of the urgency of the matter.

Related posts:

1. Justice Belle Rejects Application For Specific Disclosure
2. Judge Rita Joseph-Olivetti To Hear Constitutional Matters
3. Justice Belle Reduces Notice of Hearing To Three Days
4. The Order of Appeal Court Judge Mr. Justice Michael Gordon
5. Judge Grants Leave To Appeal Contempt Of Court Decision

Ex National Assembly Speaker - Marcella Liburd
Photo By Erasmus Williams

Basseterre, St. Kitts - Nevis
November 24, 2009 (CUOPM)

Former Speaker of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly, Ms. Marcella Liburd, is advising Church organisations not to become caught up in partisan politics.

The advise following the reading of a statement from the offices of the Chamber of Industry of Commerce read by the Chairman of the opposition People’s Action Movement (PAM) and which did not reach the media until four days later. A press conference called by the Chamber, the Evangelical assiociation and the Christian Council left no one the wiser with a Chamber official refusing to disclose the name of the person who provided the opposition party official with the news release.

Speaking at a political meeting in West Farm/Boyd’s on Sunday night, the St. Kitts-born attorney said the church organisations have a role to play in the spiritual development of a nation and warned that they must not allow the agenda to be set by the politically-tainted Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

“The St. Kitts Christian Council and the St. Kitts Evangelical Association play a very important role in our country, in the community and in our lives and we don’t want to underestimate what the church does because it brings us spiritual food and it helps us to bring up our children in a very good way. We need the church as it plays a very important role in our society,” said Ms. Liburd.

She is of the view that the St. Kitts-Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce has a role to play and both the public and private sectors should work together for the successful development of the twin-island Federation.

Ms. Liburd pointed out that since taking office, the governing St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party Administration, has laid the enabling environment and created the right atmosphere for business in this country because they have been very successful.

“Look at the reports. They are all done well even in these very difficult financial times. Look at the reports from TDC, S. L. Horsford, the St. Kitts Breweries, National Bank, the St. Kitts Credit Union and the Police Credit Union. All these organisations are doing very well under this Labour Government,” she pointed out.

“Some of them have reported that they have done the best in their business history under Labour. Labour is a mature government that puts people and the people of the country above politics and that is why these businesses are doing very well because we recognize that the country needs the business and the public sector to work together hand in hand,” said Ms. Liburd.

She lashed out at Board members of St. Kitts-Nevis Chamber of Industry, who fail to separate politics from professionalism.

“Just as Sidney Osborne (PAM Chairman) said at the PAM Convention that he recognises the Chamber officials present and they are wearing two hats, their business hat and PAM hat. I do not have to remind you that they did not show up for Labour Party Conference, even though they were invited, clearly showing where they stood politically and this is supposed to be an organization that is supposed to be independent regardless of the preference of the people in Chamber. They must have their preference – it is their right, but they must behave professionally. But there are some of them on the Board who don’t how to do that and so right now the only hat they are wearing is the PAM hat and so they out there with one agenda. Despite how well they are doing under Labour, they are doing everything in their power to try to remove Labour from office,” said Ms. Liburd.

She recalled the first press conference issued by the Chamber just before the Prime Minister was about to last the Report of the Constituency Boundaries Commission Report.

“I said to the church to be careful not to allow themselves to be caught up in partisan politics because that press release that the Chamber issued that they had a moral duty and had to perform a moral duty to tell the people, that the Prime Minister should not lay the Proclamation,” said Ms. Liburd.

“The Chamber has the church embroil in this when it is the constitutional right of the Prime Minister to lay the Report if he receives such report from the Constituency Boundaries Commission,” said the local attorney.

She suggested that most if not all of these initiatives begin with the Chamber. “It is the Chamber which goes and involves the Churches and I have been warning the Churches all along, not to allow themselves to be involved in partisan politics,” said Ms. Liburd.

Related posts:

1. St. Kitts - Nevis Youths Urged To Become Involved In Electoral Process
2. Keep St. Kitts - Nevis Politics Out Of Crime
3. Land For Churches And Day Care Center Approved
4. Parents Urged To Get Involved In Children’s Education
5. Liburd Scoffs At Claims By Opposition Parliamentarian

Deputy PAM Leader - Shawn Richards

Basseterre, St. Kitts - Nevis
November 15, 2009 (CUOPM)

The opposition People’s Action Movement (PAM) has confirmed that a member of the St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce gave its Party Chairman a copy of a statement four days before it was released to the media.

The confirmation by PAM’s Deputy Political Leader and lone Parliamentarian Hon. Shawn Richards at a public meeting in Molyneux on Thursday night confirms collusion between the Chamber and the People’s Action Movement (PAM) as no other party or media house was given a copy.

It also raises serious questions of the Chamber’s professionalism in handling sensitive political issues and the apparent disregard for proper consultation with the St. Kitts Christian Council and the St. Kitts Evangelical Association.

“Last week Saturday (November 7Th ) on Inside the News, our party chairman Sydney Osborne read a Press Release which was penned and agreed to by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Evangelical Association and the Christian Council.  We have now heard this week, in particular from Isaiah Phillip (Chairman of the St. Kitts Christian Council) that there was no agreement in terms of that particular Press Release,” said Mr. Richards at the meeting.

“They are claiming that the chairman of this political party, Sydney Osborne, issued and read from the Press Release when it had not being made public.  Well, let me ask you all a question?  A member of the Chamber called Sydney Osborne and said ‘this particular Press Release has been circulated to Chambers Members.  This particular Press Release has been issued by the Chamber and of as such I am giving you a copy and you are free to go on Inside the News and make reference to the Press Release.’ said Mr. Richards.

Mr. Richards continued: “Well, if a member of the Chamber call me and tell me that the Chamber issued a press release. ‘Here is a copy of the press release, and you can talk about it,’ what is there to stop me from talking about the press release?”

“If that particular member is misinformed and was not sure that the press release had been made public, what does that have to do with me? I am going by instructions by a member of the Chamber, who said ‘this is a Press Release agreed to by the Christian Council, the Evangelical Association and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and you can talk about it.’ What is wrong if Osborne talk about it? What is wrong with that?” said Mr. Richards, adding” “The only thing that different in the Press Release must be a paragraph by the Chamber which said they met with PAM, they met with Labour, they met with Denzil Douglas. They make one or two changes since, but when the person gave it to Sydney Osborne, they said it is finalized, it has been released and you can go ahead and speak about it.’

The St. Kitts Christian Council has distanced itself from the joint statement released from the Chamber offices on Tuesday 10th November.

Its Chairman, Rev. Fr. Isaiah Phillip said the statement is premature and he is “flabbergasted and annoyed” that such a thing had taken place.

“I don’t know the details of it. I have heard that it was read, but I want to reiterate that we have no agreement and no statement to release. I would venture to go as far as to say that the release of it was malicious…When I look at all the facts, I believe the release was malicious,” Fr. Isaiah said as the three organisations had arrived at no agreement on any statement.

President of the St. Kitts Evangelical Association Bishop Ron Collins shortly after the statement was read by the PAM Chairman on Saturday 7th November dispatched a text message informing persons that the statement read on Inside the News by the PAM Chairman, Mr. Sidney Osborne, “was not authorized.”

A Labour Party statement on Wednesday is also questioning how the same contents of a purported press release issued from the offices of the St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce on Tuesday of this week, were disclosed since last week Saturday on WINNFM’s Inside the News by the Chairman of the People’s Action Movement (PAM), Mr. Sydney Osborne while key leaders of the Evangelical Association and the Christian Council remained unaware of the statement’s release.

The St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party in a statement said that the nation must question the true motivation of the release to the People’s Action Movement four days before it was officially disseminated to the media and the public “as it appears that high ranking members of the St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce, who have deep allegiances to the Peoples Action Movement (PAM), may be using the Chamber to advance their own pro-PAM agenda.”

The Labour Party said the Chamber statement also reflects an unhealthy pre-occupation with the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party in that while neither the Concerned Citizens’ Movement nor the Nevis Reformation Party had signed the Code as of November 10, 2009, this was not mentioned in the statement.

“While everyone respects the right of all persons to support the party of their choice, the political impartiality of signatory organizations must be beyond reproach.  Whatever his private allegiances, therefore, it is highly inappropriate for the Chamber president to publicly and brazenly demonstrate his unabashed allegiance to the leader to the People’s Action Movement,” said the Labour Party statement.

St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas has labeled the statement “irresponsible.”

He said in a meeting with representatives of the two Church bodies and the Chamber on November 6th, “we discussed the proposed Code, and I expressed my willingness to sign once a few modifications had been made.  All present agreed that these changes were indeed in order, and that said modifications would be made.”

The Prime Minister said he was asked in that meeting to intervene so as to ensure that there would be no changes to the constituency boundaries.

“I explained that the Constituency Boundaries Commission was an independent constitutionally mandated entity, and that the Constitution not only required that I, in my capacity as Prime Minister, submit the Commission’s recommendations to parliament, but that I do so as soon as possible upon receipt of same.  I explained that the Constitution prohibits the interference of either the Prime Minister or anyone else in the work and recommendations of the Commission,” said the Prime Minister in the statement.

He disclosed that the organisations were grateful for this information since they later explained that they had not been aware of this, had checked with their lawyers, and had been assured that, as Prime Minister, “I am legally bound, first, to not interfere with the work of the Commission, and then to submit the Commission’s recommendations to parliament without delay.”

Dr. Douglas said that the meeting ended on a positive and respectful note.

He said the information issued from the offices of the Chamber “completely contradicts their clear statement to me that they fully understand that (1) the Commission is independent and must meet its responsibilities regarding boundary changes as it sees fit, and (2) in my capacity as Prime Minister, it is my duty to present these recommendations to the parliament.”

Related posts:

1. Christian Council Distances Itself From Statement
2. PM Douglas Welcomes Christian Council Statement
3. Labour Party Questions Apparent Collusion Between The Chamber and PAM
4. “The Chamber Must Not Use The Church As A Cloak….”
5. PM Douglas Urges Withdrawal of Statement