Photo 1 – Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas
By: E. Williams
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JUNE 21ST 2017 – Leader of the Opposition, the Right Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas doubled down on his stern warning to the Speaker of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly, the Hon. Michael Perkins that the opposition will not endure much longer the constant abuse and subjugation of its members in the local lawmaking body.
He told listeners to his weekly radio programme “Ask the Leader” that his address on the issues was raised at the conference after exhausting other means,
Dr. Douglas said it was the last resort before any action to take the matter to the 42nd Regional Conference of the Caribbean, the Americas and the Atlantic Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) attended by nearly 100 delegates and observers from Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the United Kingdom and Canada.
“We told the Speaker and Chairman of the Conference, Hon. Michael Perkins he was exceptionally bias and irrational in his rulings. We made it absolutely clear that what was seen as the demonstrated position of the Speaker was in direct contravention to the ethos and practice of democracy as has been upheld by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA),” said Dr. Douglas.
Speaker Perkins in a recent interview said he cannot be expected to be totally independent when it is the government that pays the salaries.
Photo 2 – Parliamentary Opposition
Dr. Douglas quoted the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association who said ‘there can be no democracy where the voices of our citizens are not heard or amplified for a strong and independent parliament.’
“We said that our Parliament was not independent. We said that the voice of the people who sent us to Parliament and to be their voice was being stifled and trampled upon,” said Dr. Douglas.
“It is the Speaker who has to ensure that the voice of those who sent us to Parliament be heard. But in our Parliament it is the Speaker who is challenging the words of the SG. How can he be independent when he is saying that it is the government that pays him,” said the former prime minister.
“We will not continue to allow this kind of treatment which is a stifling of our democracy,” said Dr. Douglas, who added that many of delegates have given support to his position.
“Several of the delegations said they have a similar situation in some of our parliaments and ‘you are right to highlight them here in our conference,’ which is to enhance democratic practices in our Parliaments around the entire Commonwealth. Some said my statement was provocative, but timely,” said the seven-term parliamentarian.
Photo 3 – Hon. Michael Perkins
Dr. Douglas again reiterated the concern of the Parliamentary Opposition as a consequence of the actions of the Speaker.
“I made it very, very clear that we will not tolerate this any longer. We will have to increase and step up the ante to challenge the Speaker as he tries to shut us out of making our contribution in the debates on Bills that are coming to the Parliament.
We, the Opposition will not endure any longer this constant abuse and subjugation of our members. We have exhausted several means and have finally brought it to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association so that delegates attending the conference would become directly familiar with the situation,” said Dr. Douglas.
