By Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts:(Wednesday 22nd February 2023)- “It is the honest taxpayer, hardworking men and women who pay the price when government funds which should go to provide essential services are siffend off into the pockets of public officials and their private conspirators and cronies.” So said Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs Garth Wilkin during his presentation on the Anti-Corruption Bill which had its second reading during the sitting of the National Assembly on Wednesday, 22nd February, 2023 .According to him: “Corruption also drains an economy and grows like a cancer until it destroys the system of government.
Some countries have reached the point where no simple transactions such as passing your drivers licence test can be completed without paying a bribe to a public official. Do we want St. Kitts and Nevis to be like that?” The Attorney General pointed out that many people may ask why this bill, why at this time, why is anti-corruption legislation so important and how does it fit into our government’s long term strategy.
“To answer those questions, one has to first be clear on what corruption is and what it does to a society. At its core, corruption is the use of power for private gains. It is a societal ill motivated by greed and practiced by greedy men and women.
The use of power for private gains involves the abuse of the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behaviour of others or the course of events. Private gain doesn’t necessarily mean private gains for your own self or family but also gains for – LOCAL NEWS – 3associates and cronies which divert state funds or assets to the detriment of the people of a country,” he shared.
He described that day in the National Assembly as “momentous day for our Federation” whilst adding “Today on the first day of lent in this hallowed hall the men and women on this side of the floor are fulfilling their undertaking to our people and the wider global community to make a fundamental change in the way that government does its business in our Federation.” AG Wilin expressed that it gave him “great pride and joy to be given the opportunity by my elected friends and colleagues to declare loudly and clearly for all to share Kittitians and Nevisians at home and abroad, good governance is finally here According to him: “Transparency and accountability are finally becoming a part of our societal and political DNA.The opaque clandestine and corrupt style of governance of our recent past has finally come to an end. Madame speaker, we sit and stand here today for this noble cause because of the strong will of the good people on this side of the assembly and the dedicated effort of the hardworking team at the Attorney General’s office.
Creating revolutionary.legislation is not easy; it involves late nights, daily life sacrifices and sometimes walking alone in the dark night on a lonely path through the raging storm of constant personal attacks from enemies of mature democracy. This is not an easy job Madame speaker but the sacrifices ade now will [be a benefit] to the generations of Kittitians and Nevisians to come and everything happens for a reason…” The Attorney General also commented that the bill “receives safe passage, it will signal a new day and a better way for our people.” “It is loud and clear from the public, private and global cause for good governance that this government has determined that the best way to reduce corruption in our Federation is to construct and preserve three legislative pillars of protection, the first being the Anti-Corruption Act, the second being Integrity in Public Life Act and the third being Freedom of Information Act,” he noted.
Front Page Photo: Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs Garth Wilkin during his presentation on the Anti-Corruption Bill during the sitting of the National Assembly on Wednesday 22nd February 2023(Facebook/St. Kitts and Nevis Information Services SKNIS)
