BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS –Two-term Parliamentary Representative for Central Basseterre, the Hon, Marcella Liburd has accused the two-year-old Team Unity Government of Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris “of lacking the milk of human kindness.”
“It is really said for us and our country,” said Ms. Liburd, a lawyer by profession and a former Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly, who accused the government of continuing its vicious actions of rampant victimisation on the ordinary citizens.
Speaking on the “Issues” programme on Freedom 106.5 FM on Wednesday, Ms. Liburd told listeners of the illness of a well-known Basseterre resident, Wingrove Smith alias “Tomorts,” who has been working in the Department of Sports in the cricket division for many years. Smith died Wednesday night.
“He had become synonymous with cricket and during discussions with him he spoke of being frustrated on his job,” said Ms. Liburd who stated that on one occasion police appeared at his house to conduct a search because of missing televisions and other things from Warner Park.
“Here you have someone who works for you and if things are missing I would think one of the first things you would do is to call him in and have a conversation with him if you had any suspicion, but to send the police officers to your house to search is carrying it a bit too far,” said Liburd, who added that he was upset and very disturbed about that development.
“They found nothing, but sometime after he was asked to move out of a room that he occupied at the Park and he did. He told them he had no space to store them and eventually they sent him home,” said Ms. Liburd, who added:” I say this because one does not know how people cope with the pressures that they are under.”
Ms. Liburd pointed out that Smith has his mortgage to pay, his family to take care of and nobody takes all these things into consideration.
“Today Tomorts is in the ICU at the J N France General Hospital in a coma for the last two to three days and fighting for his life. I ask you all to pray for him,” she said.
Ms. Liburd also spoke of the dismissal Sis. Corliss Toby from ZIZ Broadcasting.
“The pattern of disrespect continues,” said Ms. Liburd who stated that Ms. Toby received a letter last Friday afternoon dismissing her with immediate effect.
“There was no prior discussion and no reason given to her for her termination in this disrespectful, inhumane fashion. It is the same pattern of behaviour that we have seen for the past two years being meted out to all workers whether in government or in government-owned corporations,” she said.
Ms. Liburd, also the former Social and Community Development minister recalled the response of Prime Minister Harris in the National Assembly, who when she chided him for delivering a dismissal letter to the CEO of the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA), Mr. Jonathan Bass as he reached home on a Sunday from the church where he had just finished preaching said ‘Any day is a good day.’
She also mentioned the delivery of a dismissal letter to Levi “Barfish” Bradshaw while he was a patient at the J. N. France General Hospital.
“A man is sick and in the hospital and you choose to go up to the hospital with a letter to inform him not to come back out to work,” said Ms. Liburd.
She also recalled the victimisation of the President of the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) and the Co-coordinator of the Early Childhood Unit who were locked out of their respective offices.
Then there is Jihan Williams, the Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly who was relieved of her duties without a written notice.
During a meeting of the National Assembly at which her successor took up duties, Ms. Williams was not even invited and no one expressed thanks to her for the five years that she served.
The former health minister also recalled the junior Minister of Health Sen. Hon. Wendy Phipps who on International Nurses Day last year referred to the nurses as “thieves” and the unfair treatment of Ms. Leci Lewis, Personal Assistant to the Minister, the retirement of Chief Medical Officer Dr. Patrick Martin, the transfer of Permanent Secretary, Mr. Andrew Skerrit, the removal of his successor, Mrs Ione Willett, who was forced to take vacation and remains on leave and the transfer of on vacation and remains on leave. Recent victim is Administrator in the Ministry of Health, Mr. Clifford Griffin, who was transferred with immediate effect.
*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.
