BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS – History was made in St. Kitts and Nevis Friday when the Speaker of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly, Hon. Michael Perkins refused to allow debate of an opposition Motion of No Confidence in him.
The dictatorial action of Speaker Perkins prompted Leader of the Opposition, the Right Honourable Dr. Denzil L. Douglas to lead the five members on the opposition benches to walk out of the chamber after chiding Perkins’ “for a display of gross, flagrant, and unjust conduct in the parliament.”
In a statement Dr. Douglas, a seven-term parliamentarian and former Prime Minister accused Speaker Perkins “of holding himself as judge, jury, and executioner in refusing to allow debate on the Motion of No Confidence filed by the parliamentary opposition against him.”
Dr. Douglas noted that Motion was delivered to the Clerk of the National Assembly on the 13th of December, 2016 having been derived from the debate of the National Budget when Speaker Perkins asked opposition senator Honourable Nigel Carty to leave the National Assembly, thereby preventing his contribution to the Budget debate.”
“It was expected that on this morning’s sitting, the Speaker would have recused himself from the chair and allowed the Deputy Speaker, Senator Akilah Byron, to hear the Motion,” said the statement.
“The St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party has declared that the actions of the Speaker and the government present a clear and present danger to the federation’s democracy and the traditional democratic practices of St. Kitts and Nevis,” said Dr. Douglas.
“Such actions can only lead to serious confusion and instability in the federation,” said Dr. Douglas, further stating: “The party will therefore take the necessary steps to initiate a widespread and powerful resistance to the evident threats and injustices against the democracy of people of St. Kitts and Nevis.”
In the 2015 general elections the SKNLP, led by the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas, remained the largest single party in St. Kitts and Nevis, gaining 11,897 votes to the Hon. Shawn Richards’ People’s Action Movement (PAM), 8,452, the Hon. Vance Amory’s Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) 3, 951 votes; the Hon. Joseph Parry’s (Nevis Reformation Party (NRP), 3,276 votes and Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris’ People’s Labour Party (PLP), 2,723.
Seatwise in the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly, the PAM holds 4 seats, the SKNLP, 3 seats, the CCM, two seats and the NRP and the PLP, 1 seat each.
