Photo Caption – St. Kitts and Nevis Leader of the Opposition, the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas (right) and St. Maarten’s Acting Prime Minister the Hon. Rafael Boasman discuss issues.
By: E. Williams
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JULY 4TH 2017 – Former Prime Minister of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas paid a courtesy call on St. Maarten’s Acting Prime Minister, the Hon. Rafael Boasman on Friday.
Dr. Douglas, who was in St. Maarten as guest of the Independence for St. Martin Foundation, was greeted on his arrival by government protocol and ISMF officials and taken to his hotel.
Following a breakfast meeting with ISMF officials Friday morning, Dr. Douglas was interviewed on PJD2 by Nevisian-born broadcaster Mr. Wendell Moore.
After lunch with ISMF Executives at SOIL, Dr. Douglas, accompanied by the Hon. Sen. Nigel Carty, paid a courtesy call on Acting Prime Minister Boasman, who holds the portfolio of Minister of Justice.
Dr. Douglas and Mr. Boasman discussed several local and regional issues.
Dr. Douglas was also greeted by members of the Council of Ministers in the Administration of Prime Minister, Hon. William Marlin, who was overseas on official business.
Friday evening Dr. Douglas met with several nationals of St. Kitts and Nevis residing in St. Maarten.
After being hosted to breakfast in Margot, French St. Martin, Dr. Douglas delivered the Emancipation Day Lecture at University of St. Martin (USM) on Saturday night.
According to the St. Maarten Daily Herald, “the lecture, organized by Independence for St. Martin Foundation (ISMF), was well-received by an appreciative crowd at USM’s lecture hall.”
Culture and youth of St. Maarten were also part of the third annual Emancipation Day Lecture’s programme.
Preceding the actual lecture the anthem of St. Kitts and Nevis and the moving song “St. Martin is My Home” by Lino were played on steel pan by “Mighty Dow” Isidore York and two members of Ebony Steel Orchestra. Poems were recited by young and upcoming Dennisio Duzong and high school student Atlantha Courtar.
“When ISMF was founded in 1994, no political party wanted independence for St. Maarten, but in 2017 independence is no longer a taboo. Parliament is willing to take up the challenge and wants to make independence a reality in the near future, according to ISMF,” said the Daily Herald.
In its report, the Daily Herald noted that Dr. Douglas “has an extensive track record where it comes to politics. The medical doctor by profession served as Minister of Finance and in other cabinet posts, and was the longest-serving Prime Minister in the British Commonwealth. He was sworn in as St. Kitts’ second Prime Minister in July 1995, and remained in office until 2015.
Subsequently he has been Leader of the Opposition of the St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP).
He played a leading role in regional and international organizations, such as the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Caribbean Community Caricom, Organisation of American States (OAS), the World Bank and the United Nations. He also is a Member of the Queen’s Privy Council. Douglas wrote many books and publications, for instance on HIV/Aids.
“The dates may be different, but all show our shared history of enslavement and of dreams, struggle, evolution and triumph. Not everything on the islands is perfect, but we should be self-assured descendants of those who suffered and harvested salt on St. Maarten, sugar on St. Kitts and cotton on Nevis, without one cent of compensation,” Douglas said.
Those people of African descent were brave enough to resist and sabotage and leave the salt ponds of St. Maarten for the hills above. One Tete Lokhay and her likes fought for their right to be independent and free, Douglas said. “We are the dreams and hopes of the slaves,” he told his audience, including Members of Parliament (MPs) Franklin Meyers, Frans Richardson and George Pantophlet.
*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.
