BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JUNE 19th 2017 – Unable to have his way, St. Kitts and Nevis Government minister, Hon. Ian Patches Liburd stormed out of the 42nd Regional Conference of the Caribbean, the Americas and the Atlantic Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) when he was not allowed to have his way.
Protocol calls for the two front seats at the table be occupied by one member from Government and one from the Opposition.
Hon. Eugene Hamilton, the Leader of Government Business in the National Assembly and Mr. Liburd, the Minister of Infrastructure, occupied the seats.
Opposition MP, Hon. Konris Maynard went over and calmly told them that one seat was for the opposition.
Mr. Liburd reportedly told him he was not moving and that he can go to Freedom 106.5 FM with it.
Liburd then proceeded to poke Maynard with his elbow telling him to move from there. MP Maynard immediately lodged a complaint with a police officer.
The unruly behaviour of Minister Liburd attracted the attention of Senior Ministers Hon. Vance Amory and Deputy Clerk of the National assembly, Ms. Sonia Boddie, who pleaded with Mr. Liburd to vacate his seat. He got up, stormed out of the CPA meeting, went to his car and returned to his office.
Close to 100 delegates and observers from several English-speaking countries including Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands and observes from United Kingdom and Canada are attending.
