By:Erasmus Williams
Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 24, 2018 – Newly-elected chairman of the opposition St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP), Dr. Terrance Drew said Thursday that the three year old Timothy Harris-led Team Unity Government “has wreaked havoc on the good standing and reputation of St. Kitts and Nevis and has been embroiled in over five major scandals, three of which are of international proportion and import.
“Starting with the Stem Cell Research Scandal, where live plasma was brought into our country and which used our own citizens as guinea pigs for experimental research purposes; to the Herpes Vaccine Scandal which violated all national and international health protocols in relation to the unauthorized and unethical use of human subjects for drug trials and the current latest embarrassment, a bribery scandal which has diminished and demeaned the esteemed Office of the Prime Minister and has plummeted our country into further political instability and disrepute,” said Dr. Drew in a statement.
He called on the nation not to allow the latest scandal in which Prime Minister Harris is embroiled in “to go the way of the previous scandals, with only the promise of an investigation that will never come.”
“We will put our country in real jeopardy that as time goes by we will continue to be rocked by scandals far worse than most of us are capable of imagining at this time,” said Dr. Drew, who added: “Harris must resign and resign now! He must be held to account. He must provide answers to the people for the many questions that swirl around the extent and circumstances under which his poor judgement and greed led him to demand and negotiate a bribe.”
Dr. Drew said the latest international scandal is not an issue just for the supporters of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party.
“This scandal should be cause for serious concern for every citizen of this beloved country. This is not a time for complacency; this is a time for action. This is not a time for playing politics, but a time to come together to address and rectify a situation that will affect us all regardless of our individual political affiliation. This is not a party issue, this is a national issue. The reputation and stability of our Federation hangs in the balance and we must come together to urgently deal with it,” said Drew, the SKNLP candidate for St. Christopher 8. “Timothy Harris must be dealt with. He must resign now.”
In urging residents to join the protest march on Friday May 25, the SKNLP chairman said the demonstration “must send a resounding message that will ring through the streets of Basseterre, the rest of the nation, the Caribbean and worldwide that we the people demand answers and demand the respect we deserve to have our voices heard and our concerns addressed.”
“Tomorrow we must stand up! Tomorrow we must march in peaceful protest to remind this government that they serve at our behest and in our interest and ours alone. Tomorrow we must fight for our dying democracy and the democratic process! Tomorrow we must let Harris know that we will not be ignored. We will not be intimidated. Timothy Harris must yield to the demands of the people and we will not rest until he does,” said Dr. Drew, who was elected SKNLP chairman, a week ago.
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