BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS – Mr. Douglas Wattley, Chairman of the Peoples Labour Party (PLP) says a faction of the party wants St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris removed as Political Leader.
Wattley, who has stepped up his public criticism of Prime Minister Harris in recent weeks, is calling for a Motion of No Confidence against his leadership and has raised concern on the high level of corruption in the 21-month old three party Team Unity coalition comprising the PLP with one seat (Harris’), the Peoples Action Movement (PAM) four seats and the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM), two seats.
“I think the time is ripe for an internal move to replace the Prime Minister. If not, let us try a Motion of No Confidence,’ Wattley said in his latest posting on FaceBook.
Wattley, who for the past several months has been publicly expressing his disagreements with Prime Minister Harris on governance, transparency and accountability issues, also pointed to the high level of corruption amid widespread allegations and some startling evidence that family members of the Prime Minister have established several businesses since Dr. Harris, assumed the country’s leadership following the February 16th 2015 General Elections.
“When will Group Unity call out its leader regarding his corrupt acts? If it does not, then let us do so. I want to admonish our people to be vigilant – pay attention and leak any and all information about corruption and the appearance of corruption in Government. Keep telling us about bulldozers, car rentals, construction companies, sidebar deals with companies out of Barbados, inappropriate promotion of in-laws, allegations about the misappropriation of campaign funds. Let us implement our own “Freedom of Information Act,” said Wattley, who has resigned his appointment as Chairman of the state-owned ZIZ Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC).
Dr. Harris had promised the electorate that term limits, and freedom of information legislation would be enacted in the first 100 days of his new administration.
Commenting of the state of the three-year old PLP, Mr. Wattley accused Prime Minister Harris of creating dissension in the ranks of the PLP with a faction calling for Dr. Harris’ removal as political leader.
“Timothy (Harris) is guilty of supporting people,” said Mr. Wattley, who disclosed that at a hastily called meeting to announce the new Senator), a call was openly made for the expulsion of Sam Condor from the party that Sam Condor helped to found.
“This is a meeting that Tim deliberately called, when he knew Sam had left for Taiwan. This is a meeting for which Tim gave less than 8 hours notice. Was there an emergency? I think not. Damned forward! There is a faction of PLP who do not want Tim as the leader of the party,” said Mr. Wattley, who added that Dr. Harris cannot “commandeer the PLP without Sam allowing it.”
“Ask yourself what kind of leader creates such an untenable situation this early in a first term,” said Wattley.
