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Wheelchair Occupant Talks Townhall Drama

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Wheelchair Occupant Talks Townhall Drama

By: Spokesman Newsroom

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Monday 3rd June 2019)-Two well-known public officials going at it with members of the public concerning the government’s plans to build on the new Basseterre High School on a section of the Basseterre Aquifer caught on cellphone recorded footage has heated up controversy on the subject matter.

Information reaching this media house indicates that the incident took place on Wednesday 29th May followinga government town hall meeting at the Tucker Clarke Primary School in Newtown geared towards discussing and entertaining questions from the public on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

Social media sharing debate on the subject matter has been place on the argument mainly happening with a wheelchair occupant.

This media house got in touch with that man in the wheel chair- East Basseterre resident Earle Clarke- who indicated that the particular female official was “not behaving like someone who holds high office in the Federation.”

He informed that following the town hall meeting “I wheeled myself out of the schoolyard waiting for my transportation.”

According to him, the woman’s husband came in his direction “ranting and raving.”

He pointed out that there were about five young St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party supporters dressed in white t-shirts who “came to my rescue” in the sense of sticking up for him on the subject matter. Those youngsters have been commended by Clarke.

“I was not in any fear [even though] he approached menacingly…” he claimed.

Additionally, he told that afterwards the woman came out of the venue and that he told her that she “sell out the children and she got annoyed with me.”

Clarke did, however, use the opportunity to clear up a rumor that the man had placed his foot on his wheelchair saying “in all fairness that is not true.”

Occupational Safety & Health

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Occupational Safety & Health

By: Joseph Jones

Workers (People), I have sometimes seemed impatient and even perhaps arrogant (having an exaggerated opinion). I humbly ask you to believe my objective (aim or purpose) is to educate you about Occupational Safety and Health. I have labored on the above subject for a very long time so you would understand when I say it will always be my first and endearing love; it is for us to carry out trust, a great one; one that we must obey. Such love calls for many sacrifices.

I will move on now. In my last article, I wrote about responsibility. I am concerned about such in connection with preventing accident through good design, operation, maintenance and inspection. Achieving all this will reduce the risk of accident. Mark you, it will not get rid altogether.

Hello! Safety is not achievable without prioritizing such aspect and an essential part of major hazard control is concerned with mitigating (to make less severe) or harsh effect of a major accident.

Let’s move on and say a touch a bit on your role as workers. You should cooperate with and participate in the implementation (to carry out instructions etc.) of the workplace and measures related to the hazards. You can also play an active role in the systems in operation by watching over the safety of the workplace and the equipment that are used and applying all safety and health instructions pertaining to the work.

Workers! You should always make proper use of all safeguards and safety devices (machine or tool use for a particular purpose) and other appliances made available for your protection or your workmates.

Let me make this abundantly (plentifully) clear that no worker unless authorized (to give official permission) should  interfere (to clash) or want to remove or alter any safety devices or other appliances made available for you or your workmates protection or interfere with any method (techniques) adopted with a view to avoid accidents and injuries to safety and health.

I am begging you: Do not tamper with appliances that you have not been authorised to operate, maintain or use.

I am closing now but before I close, I must leave this with you and advise that you take it very serious. With the increasing production, storage and use of dangerous substances, there is a need for a well-designed and systematic approach if disasters are to be avoided. I wonder if you are hearing me. I hope so.

*Note Well* Keep your ears open. The more we read. The sacred pages and these articles, the better we know the rock of ages.

Thanking you.

New Kind Of $EC Banknotes Launched; Blind Association President Pleased

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New Kind Of $EC Banknotes Launched; Blind Association President Pleased

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Thursday  30th May 2019) – This week, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) unveiled the first note in the family of new polymer notes- the EC$50, and among those pleased with the new Eastern Caribbean cash is President of the St. Kitts Society for the Blind Rockliffe Bowen.

Yesterday morning (Wednesday), the bank conducted a regional media launch at the ECCB Agency Office in Grenada with video conference connections to its headquarters located in St.Kitts as well as other agency offices.

“Fellow citizens and residents of the ECCU [Eastern Caribbean Currency Unit], your new notes are considerably better hence the tagline of our public education campaign: Cleaner, Safer, Stronger. Moreover, they are aesthetically pleasing. Above all, they are a symbol of regional accomplishment, and when we use them every day, we must never forget that…,” commented ECCB Governor Timothy Antoine speaking live from the Spice Isle.

As informed by the ECCB, these banknotes are produced from a thin transparent and flexible plastic film made from a versatile and complex material.

The EC polymer notes will be put into circulation this year starting with the new $50 come next month (June) followed by the $100, $20 and $10 around August/September while the $5 is expected to be issued in August/September 2020.

The new $50 bears the image of the late ECCB Governor Sir K. Dwight Venner. At the launch event, widow Lady Lynder Venner was presented an encapsulated note.

Antoine outlined a “very important” incorporated a feature of the new notes which are “raised bumps to make it easy for the blind and visually impaired to handle their money and their business.”

As understood, the bumps, described as a unique tactile feature, have been used instead of braille for those blind and visually impaired because the ECCB recognizes that not all individuals in its member countries are able to read braille, and so common shapes have been used that everyone can recognize.

Those shapes are: circle ($5), X ($10), rectangle ($20), triangle ($50) and square ($100).

Bowen, during an exclusive interview with this reporter, stated: “I think it’s a very significant moment this morning in terms of launching the currency because it would [soon] minimise the problems that persons who are blind and visually impaired have encountered in the past in coming into contact with dishonest people so this initiative now will enable us; We’ll be able to detect the notes by ourselves with the different denominations and I want to say thanks to the bank for implementing such an initiative and I just hope that other institutions will come onboard to make things a bit easier not only for persons who are blind and visually impaired but by extension persons with disabilities not only in terms of currency but other initiatives that will minimize fraud and dishonesty where persons with disabilities are concerned.”

President of the St. Kitts Society for the Blind Rockliffe Bowen poses for a photo following the launch of the new polymer $EC notes (Spokesman Snap)

A member from the Resource Centre for the Blind Sherry Hamlet during her remarks said the move towards polymer notes is “a tangible commitment by my government [and] by my region that says that my rights to independence, to equality, to privacy are just as important as everyone else’s…”

Hamlet who talked about experiencing visual impairment all of her life talked about the “big difference” the use of such notes will have in the lives of people.

Bowen, in agreeing with such sentiments, told this reporter: “Of course, that’s right because in the past, we had this where we had to depend on people to separate the different notes for us  and because of that you know, you weren’t enjoying the independency that you would want to enjoy so [soon] when we go to the bank to draw our money or transact any other business elsewhere , we can now sit in a corner by ourselves and we don’t have to call anybody now to assist us in terms of  putting our monies together  so I think it make us more independent.”

Protestors: Get A New Voter ID Card Printer, Fix Faulty Apology Notice

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Protestors: Get A New Voter ID Card Printer, Fix Faulty Apology Notice

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Thursday 30th May 2019) –Protestors assembled outsidethe Electoral Office on Central Street last Friday (24th May) found more faults- mistakes in the public apology notice by the Supervisor of Elections posted on the glass door as calls continue for the office to hurry in fixing or buying a new voter ID card printer and to address other concerns as well.

That protest was organised by the Opposition St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP).

“What word is this?”  Yea Mon asked office workers about the misspelling of the word ‘inconvenience’. Other protestors realised that the word ‘apologise’ also had a typo and frowned upon such errors made in service to the public.

Yea Mon spots a fault in a public apology notice by the Supervisor of Elections during a recent protest outside the Electoral Office (Spokesman Snap)

See full notice below:

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CARD MACHINE IS CURRENTLY OUT OF SERVICE. WE ARE MAKING EVERY EFFORT TO HAVE THIS RECTIFIED.

A NOTICE WILL BE MADE VIA THE MEDIA WHEN THE MACHINE IS BACK TO FULL FUNCTION.

WE APOLOGIES FOR ANY INCONVIENCE THIS MAY CAUSED AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SERVING YOU.

THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING.

SIGNED: SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS

MR ELVIN BAILEY

Yea Mon, in speaking with this media house, told that his ID expired and he had been waiting for about three to four months to receive a fresh one.

While protesting, he was also sought an update to find out when “to come back again.”

“I need my ID and I think it is only fair that the process be transparent and honest. If the machine is down, buy a new machine. I mean we aint get no MRI machine so give us a voters ID machine,” he said.

Another demonstrator named Claudette shared that while her ID is up to date, she felt the need to be part of the protest.

Claudette standing in the vicinity of the Electoral Office (Spokesman Snap)

“I am here protesting because of the voters ID; every time persons go in to get their voters ID, they [the workers there] are saying that  machine break down and it is full time now that they need to get the machine fix so that people to get their ID. I have grandchildren who want to register but what sense bring them and they can’t get the card?”

This media house spoke with SKNLP Deputy Leader and Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Two (Central Basseterre) Marcella Liburd who applauded the presence of the protestors.

“It is good for them to come out and stand firm; stand up for their rights and be able to draw to the attention of the public to all of the illegalities that are happening here at the Electoral Office including the removal of over 100 names from Constituency Four and up to now the persons whose names have been removed  have  not been told that their names have been removed given the law says you have seven days within which to appeal the decision to remove your name  but if you’re not told that your name is removed , tell me what opportunity  would you have to appeal?”

Liburd who is a lawyer by profession added: “This cannot be right; this is total injustice and disenfranchisement of people and that is one of the reasons why we are here in order to highlight the illegalities that are taking place here at the Electoral Office!”

On the topic of free and fair elections, Liburd said the situation at the Electoral Office is “very concerning because this certainly undemocratic! Democracy calls for free and fair elections which means that everybody must have an opportunity. There must be a transparent process if people by law have seven days within which to appeal a decision to remove their names must be told that their names are removed so that they can then take action or not take action; whatever is right for them but it can’t be that they are not told!”

The SKNLP top official added: “That is why I am saying that the Supervisor of Elections must resign plus he is personally involved in these hearings. As the Supervisor of Elections, he must not be personally involved; he is to ensure that things are going right, not to involve himself in it.”

According to the Central Basseterre Parliamentarian: “Imagine the Supervisor or Elections actually serve notices for objection hearings in Constituency Two! That’s the job of the bailiff! They say they hire more bailiffs to serve yet the Supervisor Elections must be serving notices for Constituency Two. This can’t be right!”

When asked if the Opposition has any formal plans to address the matter apart from protesting publicly, Liburd pointed out that there are still plans to pursue the matter at a judicial level.

“We are planning to take legal action and at the same time we have to take the steps to ensure that the public understands what is happening here at the Electoral Office.”

Super Six Postponed Until Further Notice

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Super Six Postponed Until Further Notice

The St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association has announced that the Super Six Football Tournament has been postponed until further notice pending the outcome of a High Court Matter between the Association and the SOL IAS Conaree Football Club. A notice from General Secretary of the SKNFA Stanley Jacobs issued Wednesday May 29, spells out the reasons for the postponement.

“On May 24, 2019, His Lordship Justice Eddy Ventose ordered that the 24 points deducted from SOL IAS Auto Conaree Football Club be restored, pending the outcome of substantive High Court matter. The SKNFA has lodged an appeal against this interim order and filed a certificate of urgency requesting that the appeal be heard in an expeditious timeframe,” Jacobs said in the statement.

The SKNFA General Secretary continued: “In the circumstances, the Super 6 Playoff, which was scheduled to commence on May 29, 2019 has been postponed pending the determination of this matter. The SKNFA wishes to assure our sponsors, partners, patrons, member clubs and other stakeholders that we are fully committed to ensuring that final stage of the National Bank Premier League is concluded in a timely manner and without the need for protracted delay.”

The SOL IAS Conaree F.C. was sanctioned by the SKNFA last month when one of its players, Glenroy Samuels stabbed Raheem Francis, a player from the Rams Village Superstars after a match involving both teams on April 20, 2019. Francis was treated at the JNF Hospital and has been recovering, while Samuels was arrested and charged for attempted murder.

He has also been banned from all football related activities by the SKNFA until the conclusion of the criminal investigation and an internal investigation by the SKNFA. Conaree F.C. was docked 24 points from the 2018-2019 SKNFA National Bank Premier League season for failure to the control of its players and adherence to the principles of “Fair Play” in SKNFA matches. The SKNFA has and continues to strongly condemn any act of violence in the sport of football.

Edward Seaga May 28, 1930 – May 28, 2019

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Edward Seaga May 28, 1930 – May 28, 2019

The bright light that characterised the life of Edward Phillip George Seaga faded yesterday in sync with the last heartbeat of an illustrious life that symbolically ended on his 89th birthday.

Seaga, Jamaica’s fifth prime minister, former leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), succumbed to one of mankind’s bitter enemies — cancer.

Born May 28, 1930 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, Seaga drew the curtain on his innings around 1:00 pm as medical personnel at the Florida hospital, which accommodated him for over a week, ran out of all options to prolong the life of a man who was revered by a vast number of Jamaicans for several decades.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced in Parliament that Seaga’s body will be flown back to Jamaica for a state funeral on a date to be determined.

Although he was not born on the land that he loved with a passion, Seaga was taken to Jamaica at age six months by his father Phillip George, a Lebanese/Jamaican, and mother Erna Maxwell — a woman of Jamaican/African, Indian, and Scottish heritage — fully immersing him into the Jamaican culture to which he would contribute greatly to changing in future years.

Wolmer’s Boys’ School further nurtured the young Seaga’s talent, as he not only excelled in academic work, but represented the school in seven sports, including shooting, which has since been discontinued nationally.

By 1948, having left Wolmer’s, Seaga enrolled at the highly-acclaimed Harvard University, from which he graduated in 1952 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Sciences.

Upon his return to Jamaica shortly after, Seaga entered the music industry, promoting some of Jamaica’s foremost artistes, including Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, before being appointed to the Legislative Council (renamed the Senate in 1962) as an Opposition member in 1959, aged 29, making him the youngest member ever.

An original member of the team that crafted the Jamaica Constitution in 1961, Seaga, shortly after he was appointed senator, moved into Kingston Westerrn, the constituency he would rule, politically, for 43 years, up to his retirement from elective politics in 2005.

Having become MP for Kingston Western in 1962, Seaga trimmed his music industry activities, selling his West India Records Ltd, later renamed Dynamic Sounds, to his good friend Byron Lee in order to concentrate fully on representing the people who elected him.

The failing health of JLP founder and leader Sir Alexander Bustamante opened the door for a new successor, and Seaga emerged as that man in 1974. But he had to wait six years later to become Jamaica’s fifth prime minister after the JLP won in the bloody 1980 General Election that resulted in the deaths of more than 800 people, as the PNP and JLP engaged in a violent ideological struggle shaped by the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Seaga remains the longest-serving Member of Parliament, with 10 consecutive election victories.

His Cabinet appointments included Minister of Development and Welfare from 1962 to 1967, and Minister of Finance and Planning following the death of Sir Donald Burns Sangster in 1967. During his tenure as prime minister from 1980 to 1989 he again served as minister of finance.

Starting Jamaica Festival in 1963 and spearheading the move to have National Hero Marcus Mosiah Garvey’s body flown back to Jamaica in 1964 for reburial at National Heroes’ Park (then George V Memorial Park), and the creation of the Creative Production and Training Centre in 1986 were among his most notable achievements.

A lifelong sportsman, Seaga was chairman of the Premier League Players Association, president of Tivoli Gardens Football Club, Netball Club and Basketball Club.

His professional life will be credited with having been associated with the formation or development of several national institutions, among them the HEART Trust/National Training Agency, the Jamaica Stock Exchange, Jamaica Unit Trust, Export-Import Bank, Jamaica Promotions Ltd, the Agricultural Credit Bank, the Jamaica Mortgage Bank, the National Development Bank, Urban Development Corporation, Kingston Waterfront, the Golden Age Home for the elderly, among others.

One of his cherished infrastructural developments, though, was the Tivoli Gardens housing project — a major transformation of the then Back-O-Wall settlement in West Kingston that thousands called home.

Upon his retirement from active politics on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 after more than four decades of a stellar career as leader of the JLP and member of parliament for Kingston Western, Seaga was appointed a distinguished fellow at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, doing research and writing, and was named years after as chancellor of the University of Technology, Jamaica.

He has published extensively on various topics and issues from 1954 to 2012.

Seaga married Marie Elizabeth “Mitsy” Constantine, a former Miss Jamaica (World) in 1965, but that union ended in divorce in 1995. Sons Christopher, Andrew, and daughter Anabelle were products of that marriage.

Following his divorce, Seaga married Carla Vendryes on June 14, 1996. The marriage produced daughter Gabrielle, who was born on September 16, 2002.

The recipient of several local, regional and international awards, including Jamaica’s second highest, the Order of the Nation in 2002, Seaga also received five honorary degrees from United States universities.

Timeline of Brexit and events leading to May’s departure

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Timeline of Brexit and events leading to May’s departure

LONDON (AP) — A timeline of key events in how Brexit unfolded and how the political crisis led up to Theresa May’s ouster as British prime minister:

May 7, 2015: British voters elect a majority Conservative government. Then-Prime Minister David Cameron confirms in his victory speech that there will be an “in/out” referendum on Britain’s EU membership.

Feb. 20, 2016: Cameron confirms that he will campaign for Britain to remain in the 28-nation bloc. The referendum date is set for June.

June 23, 2016: Britain votes 52 percent to 48 percent to leave the EU.

June 24, 2016: Cameron says he will resign in light of the results.

July 13, 2016: Following a Conservative Party leadership contest, May, then Home Secretary, becomes prime minister.

Oct. 2, 2016: May says that Britain will begin the formal process of leaving the EU by the end of March 2017. In order to do this, the British government would have to invoke Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty.

March 29, 2017: The British government formally triggers Article 50, setting in motion a plan for Britain to leave the EU on March 29, 2019.

June 8, 2017: A general election called by May to bolster her party’s numbers in Parliament to help with the Brexit negotiations backfires as her Conservative Party loses its majority and continues in a weakened state as a minority government.

July 7, 2018: May and her Cabinet endorse the so-called Chequers Plan worked out at a fractious session at the prime minister’s country retreat. It leads to the resignations of Brexit Secretary David Davis, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and others who favor a more complete break with the EU.

November 25, 2018: EU leaders approve a withdrawal deal reached with Britain after months of difficult negotiations. May urges British Parliament to do the same.

December 10, 2018: May delays the planned Brexit vote in Parliament one day before it is to be held because it faces certain defeat. She seeks further concessions from the EU.

December 12, 2018: Conservative lawmakers who back a clean break from the EU trigger a no-confidence vote in May over her handling of Brexit. She wins by 200 votes to 117, making her safe from another such challenge for a year.

January 15, 2019: The Brexit deal comes back to Parliament, where it is overwhelmingly defeated in a 432-202 vote.

March 12, 2019: Lawmakers reject deal again.

March 23, 2019: Anti-Brexit protesters flood a central London by the hundreds of thousands demanding a new referendum on whether to leave the EU.

March 28, 2019: May offers up her job in exchange for her Brexit deal, telling colleagues she would quit within weeks if the agreement was passed.

March 30, 2019: British lawmakers reject the government’s Brexit deal for a third time.

April 11, 2019: Britain and the EU agree to extend the Brexit deadline to Halloween. The Oct. 31 cutoff date averts a precipitous Brexit on April 12.

May 7, 2019: The UK government acknowledges for the first time that the country will definitely take part in the European Parliament elections because there’s no chance that a Brexit deal can be approved in time to avoid them

May 17, 2019: Talks between Britain’s Conservative government and the opposition Labour Party seeking a compromise over Brexit break down without agreement plunging the country back into a morass of Brexit uncertainty.

May 21, 2019: May offers a concession to lawmakers, giving them the chance to vote on whether to hold a new referendum on the country’s membership in the EU — but only if they back her thrice-rejected Brexit agreement.

May 24, 2019: May says she will step down as Conservative Party leader on June 7 and will serve as caretaker prime minister until her successor is chosen.

Occupational Safety & Health

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Occupational Safety & Health

By: Joseph Jones

Hello! Sometime ago, I was called for a meeting regarding Safety and Health. It was an extraordinary inconvenience as a lot of time was lost but it was also serious business. During the first day’s orientation, the lecturer spoke about responsibility at hand and the important nature of the task. I could well remember up to this day, he said, we are going to sit in judgement of workers who either had problems or disputes on the topic of Occupational Safety and Health. Look, I felt a great sense of inadequacy (not good enough) at the workplace. I know some of us like to pass judgement with serious life consequences; riding on the decision is not a simple thing because we are imperfect human beings. We may not always make the right judgement.

People, listen to this: While the justice of our world might struggle and falter because of the existing as an inseparable part in as it relates to the failings of the human beings that manage them, I know we can always trust God to excel in wisdom and fairness.

Workers! This is a mouthful, and so I encourage you to please pay serious attention to this article and absorb it fully.

Let me write something more before I close. There is a view that most industrial accidents in the region are caused by ‘careless workers’ or accident-prone workers who do not take safety at work seriously.

People, I said it in most of my articles to BE AWARE. This puts the blame on you the worker and suggest that work can be made safer simply by changing the behavior of working people or selecting for example gifted workforce which never makes mistakes.

Accidents will not stop simply by making workers more safety conscious; his may help but it does not get at the roots of the problem, namely the unsafe process. The cure, therefore, lies in designing work systems which take into account the fact that workers are human beings and sometimes make mistakes.

This trade union approach involves prevention rather than a cure with emphasis placed on controlling the hazards at sources than relying on getting workers to adapt to unsafe conditions or wear protective clothing often not suited or designed for us in St.Kitts-Nevis or the Caribbean.

*Note Well* Life is like a game of tennis. You can’t win without serving well.

Thank you.

Purcell Hope aka Peter Wanted by Police

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Purcell Hope aka Peter Wanted by Police

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 24, 2019 (RSCNPF):

A warrant is in existence for the arrest Purcell Hope of New Town in connection with a wounding incident that took place at the Independence Square on May 17, 2019. Anyone who sees him or knows of his whereabouts is asked to contact the Criminal Investigation Department at (869) 662-7062, the Basseterre Police Station at (869) 465-2241, or the nearest police station. All information collected will be treated as confidential.

NAME: PURCELL SYLVESTER HOPE

ALIAS: PETER

ADDRESS: NEWTOWN

D.O.B: 31/01/1953

AGE: 66 YEARS OLD

PLACE OF BIRTH: ST. KITTS

COMPLEXTION: DARK

HAIR: BLACK AND GREY

EYES: BROWN

HEIGHT: 5’5”

BUILT: MEDIUM

Gov’t Citizenship By Marriage Information Sparks Debate In SKN

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Gov’t Citizenship By Marriage Information Sparks Debate In SKN

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Friday 24th May 2019) – Government shared information about the no wait application period for citizenship status by marriage in St.Kitts-Nevis is being widely debated by many nationals and residents including local politicians.

Nevis’ Premier Mark Brantley of the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) and the St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) candidate for Constituency Four Steve Wrensford are among those who have weighed in on the subject.

On Monday this week (20th May), the government media unit SKNIS (St.Kitts-Nevis Information Services) informed via a press release-communicated in three languages namely English, Spanish and French- that the Cabinet considered several submissions, one of which is the policy regarding the number of years an individual can be married before citizenship can be granted.

“The Cabinet researched this in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs and concluded that there is no legal requirement to prevent persons from obtaining citizenship by marriage except for any unwritten policy which seems to be at variance with the law. As of the 13th May 2019, the Cabinet has approved that the Ministry of National Security will process application for citizenship by marriage on requests subject to the relevant legal documentation being provided,” the release indicated.

Appearing on the SKNLP- sponsored ‘Issues’ programme on Wednesday 22nd May, Wrensford stated: “The government has found itself in a desperate situation and so they have looked at a last straw. The last straw is to sell our citizenship for next to nothing. You cannot tell me that you get married today and get a citizenship tomorrow. We cannot go to any country in the world and marry anyone and get citizenship within 24 hours.”

He added: “And so the government is really taking us for a ride; is really disrespecting the hardworking citizens of St.Kitts and Nevis, and I’m surprised that up to now the sanctimonious organisations; those organisations who were piously against the Douglas-led administration for every mistake that they made. I’m surprised that these organisations today have not said a thing!”

Brantley, a lawyer by profession, used the opportunity via his Facebook that day also to say in part: “We might not like the law but the law is the law and until changed it must be obeyed. In our legal system the Constitution is the highest or supreme law. Anything done which is contrary to the Constitution is unlawful. So what does the Constitution of St Kitts and Nevis say about obtaining citizenship by virtue of marriage?”

He cited “CHAPTER VIII / Section 92 – Registration (1) The following persons shall, if they do not already possess citizenship, be entitled, upon making application, to be registered as citizens- a) any person who is married to citiz

Brantley commented further that “Section 92 uses the word “shall” which means it is mandatory and “entitled” meaning that such a person has a prima facie constitutional right and expectation to be registered as a citizen.”

“It follows that anyone who is married to a citizen of St Kitts and Nevis is entitled under the Constitution to be registered as a citizen of St Kitts and Nevis upon applying for such. The Constitution says nothing about a waiting period of 3 years or 5 years or any waiting period TO APPLY. In other words someone who marries a citizen is entitled TO APPLY for citizenship of St Kitts Nevis at any time after that marriage. But that does not mean that every such person will be granted citizenship,” he added.

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