BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Hundreds of civil servants in St. Kitts are breathing a sigh of relief this week following the return of the incumbent St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party to office just over a week ago.
The St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party, first elected to office in July 1995, was returned to office with 60 percent of the votes on St. Kitts in the January 25th 2010 general election.
It won six of the eight seats on St. Kitts to two for the People’s Action Movement (PAM) of Mr. Lindsay Grant. On Nevis, the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) of the Hon. Vance Amory retained its two seats, with the third seat going to the Hon. Joseph Parry’s Nevis Reformation Party (NRP).
Months leading up to the recent general election, the People’s Action Movement was accused of having plans to dismiss hundreds of civil servants, if it had won the elections.
Top officials of the PAM had publicly spoken of plans to dismiss civil servants who were known or perceived to be supporters of the Labour Party.
PAM had also announced publicly that it had no respect for the Queen’s Representative, and if it won the January 25th general election, the Governor General His Excellency Dr. Sir Cuthbert Sebastian would have been fired on the 26th.
The opposition People’s Action Movement (PAM) said during the campaign it has lost respect for the Federation’s Governor General His Excellency Dr. Sir Cuthbert Sebastian and will dismiss him if the Party wins the January 25th general elections.
Speaking at a political meeting of the Party in East Basseterre, the PAM candidate for St. Christopher 1, Mr. Glenroy Blanchette accused Sir Cuthbert of signing the necessary Proclamation in July to change the constituency boundaries.
“All the Governor General does is eat, sleep and sign. That’s all he does, eat, sleep and sign, never mind the ceremonial pomp and splendor,” said Blanchette.
“I have no respect for him. The Governor General and (Prime Minister) Denzil Douglas are working hand in hand and so I have no respect for him and I am saying that tonight, because a change is coming on the 25th of January and we are going to have a new Governor General in this country,” said Blanchette, who resigned a teaching job with government to contest the 2004 general election. He lost to Minister of Public Works, Utilities and Transport, Dr. the Hon. Earl Asim Martin in 2004 and again in 2010.
The governing St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party has consistently accused the former PAM Administration of rampant victimisation during its 15 year reign from 1980 to 1995. The Government said a PAM administration of Mr. Lindsay will dismiss over 500 civil servants if it wins the upcoming elections.
The State Governor, Sir Probyn Inniss, was given three days to vacate Government House in 1981 and was among hundreds of civil servants who were dismissed, demoted or transferred by the Kennedy Simmonds PAM Administration between 1980 and 1995.
