Confirmation delayed by confusion over publication of vote counting results (Adapted)
Feb 20, 2015 -St. Kitts, CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris Wednesday took the oath of office as the new head of government in this twin island federation following Monday’s Federal general election in which Team Unity swept the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) seven to four, out of office after 20 years.
Harris, 51,told those gathered at the official residence of the Governor General that his elevation to the top post in government ushered in “a new government of national unity.
“I pledge as the prime minister of the country to uphold all oaths that we have taken, to work diligently for the prosperity of the country and equally important, the deepening of the democracy.
“Our platform for the election in this country was based on two critical pillars. Democracy, democracy, so much of it was under threat in our view and …we know we have to redeem it”.
Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris
Harris said that development that is people centered “amidst all the rosy picture the truth is there are too many unforgotten people, too many situations unknown, unseen, untendered where people live”.
He said there are too many people who have been forgotten across the country.
“(There are) too many situations, unknown, unseen and unattended where people live. I knew that there had to be a better way of existence and the government has an obligation to take the 33% of people who live a life of abject poverty , out of that situation,” he said.
The Governor General also swore in Vincent Byron as the new Attorney General.
On Monday, voters denied Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas an opportunity of becoming the first regional leader to win five consecutive general elections and instead voted Team Unity, led by Harris a one-time senior cabinet minister in a Douglas administration.
Team Unity comprises the main opposition People’s Action Movement (PAM), the People’s Labour Party (PLP) and the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) .
The 15-member National Assembly is made up of 11 elected members and four others, two of whom are government senators and one opposition senator. The attorney general is the ex-offico member of the legislative body…
The St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) had entered the election in an accommodation with the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) telling the public it was the best party suited to continue the socio-economic development of the twin-island federation.
But Team Unity urged supporters it was time for there to be “Prosperity for All” and accused the outgoing administration of nepotism, corruption and mismanagement of the economy.
The party had campaigned on the theme “Better Days are coming” and had urged its “fam
ily” of voters to ensure that they remove the incumbent from office.
Denzil Douglas, who has been prime minister since 1995, conceded defeat , but not without criticized delay, on behalf of the St Kitts and Nevis Labour party on Tuesday, offering his congratulations to a three-party opposition coalition called Team Unity.
St Kitts-Nevis is one of the smallest independent countries in the world with 54,000 inhabitants.
The Team Unity alliance is comprised of the People’s Action Movement, the Concerned Citizens Movement and the People’s Labour party.
A ruling by Britain’s privy council days before the election threw the process into turmoil. The ruling Labour government was accused of trying to rig the result when it declared new boundaries a month before the poll. With days to go until the vote, the London court, which is the final court of appeal for St Kitts and Nevis, ordered that the previous boundaries be used.
Outgoing – PM Douglas
In an interview with WINN FM in St. Kitts, the new Prime Minister on Tuesday evening said, responding to Toni Frederick’s question. “…and you throw in all of the many layers with the court battles…it’s been a rough couple of years and some really harsh, vitriolic, venomous exchanges took place…some of them were really directed at you – that it’s tough to deal with. Allot of that was coming from both sides and even as you and your coalition partner celebrate…we have also created some very large rifts in our community, 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…how do we move forward, how do we heal …?”
“I 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.
