BASSETERRE, ST KITTS, JUNE 24, 2021 — Leader of the Opposition Dr. Denzil L. Douglas told a team of officials from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that the country lacks credible information on the state of the St. Kitts and Nevis economy, while leading a delegation of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) in virtual discussions with an IMF Team led by Chief of the Caribbean II Division of the Western Hemisphere Department, Mr. Bas Bakker.
Mr. Bakker recognised Dr. Douglas’s sterling 20-year service as Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and asked how he would deal with the current challenges if he were the sitting Prime Minister. Dr. Douglas responded that he would be guided firstly by the IMF Reports on the economy — pointing out that the Harris government has refused permission for the IMF to publish its 2018 Mission Report. “We have no credible IMF information since your last Mission in 2018. We do not trust the word of the government of St. Kitts and Nevis, especially the Prime Minister/Finance Minister,” he said.
Dr. Douglas highlighted that the economy was robust with over 6.5% GDP growth in 2013 and 2014 under his administration, with a similar trajectory expected for 2015 when he demitted office — followed by a deteriorating slide in GDP from the end of 2015 under the Timothy Harris administration. He outlined the SKNLP’s National Economic Recovery (NER) Plan and its “COVID-19 Imperative” blueprint, and highlighted what he described as the bungling and mismanagement of the COVID-19 outbreak, alarmingly high unemployment, the illegal withholding of severance payments of severed workers, a fast-collapsing tourism sector with no marketing for stay-over visitors, draining of the Social Security Fund, and wanton waste of financial resources on non-revenue generating projects including traffic lights, sidewalks and roundabouts in which party and family-aligned members are the main beneficiaries. Dr. Douglas called for an assurance that the Parliamentary Opposition and the people of St. Kitts and Nevis will get credible information on the true state of the economy after the 2021 IMF consultations. He was supported by SKNLP Parliamentarians Dr. Geoffrey Hanley and Dr. Joyelle Clarke, Chairman Dr. Terrance Drew, Party Secretary Diana Williams, Treasurer Crios Freeman and CEO Dr. Asim Martin.