​St. Kitts and Nevis opposition accuses Speaker of stifling Democracy, will not participate in continuing Budget Debate

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS – The parliamentary opposition in St. Kitts and Nevis announced Friday that it will no longer participate in the Budget Session of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly.

Leader of the Opposition and Political Leader of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP), the Right Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas made the announcement on WINNFM during a discussion on the action of the Speaker, the Hon. Michael Perkins, who suspended opposition senator the Hon. Nigel Carty for “laughing at him,” an accusation that Carty has denied.

Carty said his “chuckle” was in response to Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris who on a point of order began reading a section of the Standing Order and then stopped abruptly after he realised his objection was not in line with the section he was reading.

Dr. Douglas responded Thursday to the Budget and Carty, was the first speaker following Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Shawn Richards who spoke after Dr. Douglas.

Perkins has accused  of being biased and stifling democracy, even when he was a government-appointed senator and Deputy Speaker and presided over sittings of the lawmaking body in the absence of then Speaker, Mr. Franklin, who resigned less than one year in the post.

“As a result of the conduct of the Speaker, the Parliamentary Opposition will not participate in the continuation of the Budget Session,” a SKNLP statement said.

Opposition members of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party and the Nevis Reformation Party have repeatedly expressed grave concern regarding the erosion of freedom of expression in the National Assembly of St. Kitts and Nevis and have on several occasions “have had reasons to question his impartiality and his specific targeting of Members of Parliament who sit on the opposition benches.”

“This is based on several rulings over a period of time including the unprecedented ruling handed down on Thursday December 8, 2016. Since the start of this current session of the National Assembly, while he was deputy speaker, the opposition had reason to raise concerns regarding his rulings,” the statement said.

Member for St. Christopher 3, Hon. Konris Maynard, had reasons to accuse Mr. Perkins of preventing/refusing members of the opposition from speaking on the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill.

As Deputy Speaker, Mr. Perkins has prevented the Member for St. Christopher 2, Hon. Marcella Liburd from speaking on the Appropriation Bill , 2016 (2015) in December 2015.
Other issues include the non appointment of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), The Speaker’s in a photograph with the Cabinet of Ministers, which appears on the front cover of the 2017 Budget Address, the late delivery of Papers for meetings of the National Assembly and the failure to establish an Office of the Leader of the Opposition.