BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS –The economic climate in St. Kitts and Nevis has worsened since the election to office of the Timothy Harris-led Team Unity coalition in February 2015.
“The economic situation in our country is getting worse when compared to what it was under the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party Administration when it lost office in February 2015. The economy is worsening and it continues to deteriorate. The economy is contracting. The growth rate in the economy was doing so well to grow us out of the serious international economic and financial crisis experienced in 2008. That rate of growth is now decelerating and not accelerating as the Team Unity government wants us to believe,” Dr. Douglas said Wednesday.
St. Kitts and Nevis registered a 7 percent growth rate in 2013 and again 2014 when Labour was in office. The growth rate dropped to 5 percent in 2015 and further declined in 2016 and will go further down to 3 percent in 2017 as projected by the Team Unity Government, regional and international financial institutions.
“How can anyone in their right mind describe the growth rate as being accelerating and not decelerating?” asked Dr. Douglas on the final programme of “Issues” on Freedom FM and Kyss FM.
“I had to be truthful and say to the county that Dr. Harris, the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, is deceiving the country again. He is fooling the people. He is trying to take the country and the citizens for a ride, but we will not go on that ride with him. We must reject what he is saying because the facts with regard to the economy just do not speak in support to what he is saying to us,” said Dr. Douglas, who reiterated his description of the 2017 Budget “as one full of blatant lies, misrepresentations and deception.”
He said the stark evidence is in the Estimates for 2017 and the Director of Audit Report submitted to the National Assembly by Dr. Harris himself.
“The Estimates is a recording of what he intends to spend in providing services for the people of this country. The Estimates provided by Dr. Harris are showing that the economy is in decline. It is decelerating in terms of growth and not expanding, but contracting, as the real situation is,” said Dr. Douglas, who emphasised that there is no stimulation in the Budget for 2017.
“Even though Dr Harris was able to identify several projects that he said would come on stream in 2017, we know from experience that it is only mentioned, but the Estimates do not substantiate what he is claiming,” said the former prime minister.
Dr. Douglas, like former Deputy Prime Minister Dr. earl Asim Martin, is asking where in the Budget is there financing for the delivery or construction of the new Basseterre High School that Dr Harris promised would be built when he took office in 2015.
“He also speaks of a new second cruise ship which should have started two years ago, which as a result of corruption, was stopped and stalled in order to benefit ministers of government,” said Dr. Douglas.
On the issue of home construction, Dr. Douglas said the plans are also steeped in corruption.
“The money was borrowed from the St. Christopher and Nevis Social Security and in the process of finalising that loan (to the National Housing Corporation in one lump sum), the Chairman of the Social Security Board (appointed by Harris since he took office), objected to the way in which the Social Security funds were being borrowed. As a result, she resigned to maintain her own dignity, integrity and accountability,” said Dr. Douglas, adding: “even the home construction is being mentioned is steeped in corruption, because we now understand that the Harris Group of Companies, has now registered a construction firm and will become engaged in the building of those homes.”
“We also hear that a Minister of Government has also become engaged in the importation of cement and one of the warehouses owned by the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis on the C.A Paul Southwell Industrial Estate, has already being used to accumulate and store the cement that was imported last month and earlier this month,” said Dr. Douglas.
*This article was posted in its entirety as received by SKN PULSE. This media house does not correct any spelling or grammatical errors within press releases and (or) commentaries. The views contained within are not necessarily those of SKN PULSE.
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