St. Kitts & Nevis Observer
by LK Hewlett
Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris, St. Kitts- Nevis
“I want to say how humbled I am by the opportunity to serve the People of St. Kitts and Nevis as your Prime Minister.”
These were the words of Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris when he made his maiden address after being sworn in as Prime Minister on Wednesday (Feb 18). He made the address in front of thousands of Team Unity supporters gathered in Charlestown, Nevis.
“I promise that I will endeavor at all times to be your worthy chief servant…Working together as Team Unity we are better together and we shall deliver!” he said.
He said throughout the campaign when faced with criticism and “when they did their worst evil”, he pledged he was prepared to go all the way in the fight for democracy.
“Because we persevered, because the race was never for the swift, the race was never for them who had the biggest billboards, never for them who had the thousands of dollars to buy the votes, the race was never about free vouchers, the race was never about which party could provide more rentals for the young people during election time.
“The race was about you, whether you deserve better.”
PM Harris thanked party supporters, saying he was indebted to many people. He promised that going forward the newly elected MPs would be a better, caring and compassionate government compared to the previous Denzil Douglas administration.
He reaffirmed to the people of Nevis that the commitments made to them during the campaign would be honored, saying the victory could not have been possible without the support of Premier Vance Amory, Deputy Premier Mark Brantley and Hon. Alexis Jeffers.
“Onward to new beginning, onward to a fairer share for Nevis.”
The Prime Minister invited all to bring their ideas to the government to help build a better Federation.
Telephone interview by Winn FM with the just declared winner Dr. Timothy Harris
Toni Frederick: This has been probably the most vitriolic campaign, every campaign we say, oh this is the worst one, this one was in a league by itself; and you throw in all of the many layers with the court battles and it’s been a rough couple of years and some really harsh, as I said vitriolic, venomous exchanges took place. I mean some of them are really directed at you and we are all human, that it’s tough to deal with. With that said allot of that was coming from both sides and even as you and your coalition partner celebrate, as I say to the listeners earlier, we have also created some very large rifts in our community and we are pretty small as it is and we need all of our resources. How do you hope or how do you intend as you go forward to reach out and heal those rifts? There are some people out there who…and some Dr. Harris who once probably sat at the table and broke bread with you who now are in a very negative place and you are going to have to kind of rise above some of the things that might have been said about you and your decisions. In the interest of country, how do we move forward, how do we heal?
Dr. Harris’ response: I think that we are at a good place and fortunately for the country Team Unity has emerged and we pledge that new day in politics. Certainly our coming together crossed the political divide, is something which is helpful to the continuing development of the body politics in St. Kitts and Nevis. The fact that we are with different parties and yes we are able now to sit around the table and to make decisions I think we’ll lead to a diminution in the acrimony in the body politics; and we have pledge and I have said that I am committed to lead a government in which there is fairness for all, in which there is a fair share, all citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis, I am committed to that.
You’re right. I myself has been in the political sway and I know the unkind words, the unhelpful words, have been expressed on both sides, but we want to try hard to move on. Consistently throughout the campaign I have said the politics as we have become accustomed to have led to hurts on both sides and that the past is now behind us and we have the future to consecrate.
I will try very hard, very, very hard to keep faith with the people and to keep faith with this country I love. I consider it an enormous responsibility and I’m humbled by it to serve this country. Part of the legacy I would wish to leave behind is that I help in unifying the country, and like Mandela in some ways began a helpful process of reconciliation and healing particularly bringing the political tribalism at long last to an end.
I want to give the assurance to those who are committed to work, and to give proper service that there’s nothing to fear from a Team Unity government. I want to give assurance to those who are the beneficiaries of government houses, whatever may have been the benefits that they have legitimately accumulated under the government, there’s no risk to them. No risk attendant to their political allegiance.
The elections are over and my hope is that the civil service in particular will get down sensibly to the task of doing work and serving the government to the best of their ability, in serving the government mandate and agenda to fulfill their mission as civil servants.
My hope is that the Security Forces, the Police, the Army, the Coast Guard, the Fire, everyone accept their responsibility and by a large we have long established protocols that governments change, but the people who are at the nerve centre of keeping governments functional must do their very best at all times in respective of the government in power.
And having said that, clearly, it is a requirement that the Civil Servants are going to be able to function properly. Their conduct and behaviour must be such that they render themselves acceptable to the people at large. We are going to want to have a Civil Service that behaves in a proper way that issue the party and political involvement where for example, you may have a Cabinet Secretary, a Permanent Secretary being a member of the political party, that does a disservice, that does a destruction to the long serving principles that help an independent Civil Service and kept governments functional. I believe that when we begin to insulate the Civil Service from the party politics, we help build the kind of Civil Service and a country of Civil Servants at which any incoming government can depend and that is the standard to which we will want to abide. No victimisation, a competent discipline Civil Service ready to serve their country.
Prior to the elections, said to the people, “The victory is yours and on Monday you’ve got it and you must deliver it on Monday.”
Harris reportedly said later: “We shall deliver a better St. Kitts and Nevis, because the young man and young woman, the family deserve better, and as your leader, you ask me how far I will go as prime minister to deliver your hopes…all the way…because our word is our bond”
