A RACE TO THE BOTTOM

At page 15 of last week’s edition of the paper, we carried a new feature, Points To Ponder, in which we invited readers to seek answers relative to a person by the name of Jonathan Randall Curshen, a former Honourary Consul of this country to Costa Rica.

We provided several URLs and invited readers to access them to learn about the named individual.

Based on the responses to date, it is clear that a goodly number of persons did access the sites and learned, for the first time, about Curshen, his ‘business’ activities, and his eventual arrest, trial and incarceration by United States authorities.

At https://www.offshorealert.com/forums.aspx?g=posts&t=39443 Offshore Alert, a magazine which describes itself as the ‘The Unofficial Financial Regulator’, carried a posting on Saturday, August 13, 2011 under the caption ‘Jonathan Curshen aka Diplomat & Fraudster’, and attributed to ‘Ex-Curshen Employee Speaks’. As told therein Curshen had used his office as one of this country’s consuls to influence his customers into doing business with him, while exacting from them higher level fees with the assurance that, because of his ‘diplomatic’ status, his office could not be raided or investigated, so that their businesses would always remain secret and be safe with him.

Eventually his claims turned out to be false because they were based on incorrect information pedaled by some corrupt politicians and senior civil service officials, persons who rather unfortunately, are given to confusing the various consular and other agents and their respective roles with those of ambassadors and other diplomats who are accorded true and proper diplomatic protections. One wonders if the culprits who dole out such ignorance ever bother to study the relevant Geneva and Vienna Conventions.

One of the questions which we posed related to statements made by Curshen to the effect that he had paid the sum of two hundred and fifty thousand United States dollars (US$250,000.00) in exchange for a St. Kitts and Nevis diplomatic passport. The said article recorded one aspect of that assertion thusly: “Note that he did however disclose to several of his employees (including myself) that he paid over US$250,000 as a bribe to the St. K&N government in order to obtain the position and passport.”

As is only to be expected, and running true to form, several of SCHEME UNITY’s apologists immediately began spreading a rumour to the effect that Douglas was the one to whom Curshen had paid the money. We of the Labour Spokesman state, quite categorically, and in SOUND SPEECH THAT CANNOT BE CONDEMNED, that Curshen never at any time used the name of Denzil Llewellyn Douglas. He NEVER called Dr. Douglas’ name. He did however, call another name, and those who are interested to know that identity should try to access the court documents pertaining to Curshen’s trials in Florida.

We wait to find out who amongst our people are truly desirous of knowing the facts.

This is not the first time that we have witnessed such an abomination being levelled at our Comrade Leader. When the news of Curshen’s ignominy broke some years ago, the demon who is behind the entire scheme used the fact that references had been made to ‘the government of St Kitts and Nevis’, and to ‘the Douglas administration’, to pedal his evil while remaining ‘under the radar’, so to speak. But as we have warned you, our people, time and again, that is precisely the manner in which demons operate: they openly accuse others of their evil acts while diverting attention from themselves.

And, atop all of that, some persons have the gall to accuse others of selling passports like black pudding on a Friday afternoon!
Rest assured, dear people, such practices can obtain for only a time. Eventually they MUST all come to an end. It is for us, the people, to bring that about.

As we continue preparing ourselves to return our beloved country to a law abiding, upright and truly respected status, we need to pay careful attention to all that is being attempted by those in office, a group of persons who are mortally afraid of facing us. They know what they have done, and are doing, to St. Kitts and Nevis and our people, and they are understandably afraid of having to face us. But face us they MUST.

In their drive to assuage the hurt and disappointment of some of their followers, they have to continue their reprehensible job creation practices of firing known members and supporters of Labour and The NRP, and replacing them with members of their families and a few supporters. Hence, the quite recent dismissal of some twenty-five persons from the Kittitian Hill project. Oh yes, dear people. The devilry continues.

Meanwhile, we observe that there really are no new projects being developed by the folks now in office. Those that are now nearing completion were ALL started by the Labour and NRP administrations. Yet persons in office are somehow managing to increase their bank accounts, here at home and elsewhere. Really, given the non-productive circumstances prevailing, just how is that possible? We aver that such can only be accomplished by way of corruptions!

For avoidance of any doubt, we hasten to point out that it is not only we of this newspaper who are making these assessments of our country being in a state of decline. Reports of highly reputable regional and international organisations concur with our assertions.

As has been pointed out by our Comrade Chairperson and other members of the party leadership, the country’s revenues are seriously declining, and this has been the case ever since SCHEME UNITY assumed office. Since February of 2015, there have been no new investments in the country, direct or otherwise, our exports (to the US and elsewhere) have fallen to pre-2010 levels. Meanwhile, business entrepreneurs and other potential investors are running away from St. Kitts and Nevis and setting up elsewhere.

In almost every case, the stench of corruption is far more than they can bear.

But, while the country and the vast majority of our people suffer, ‘families’ are doing rather well, thank you. As several of our leaders have pointed out, the nation’s finances are now being controlled by one particular family. Decisions are made, not in Cabinet, but around that family’s breakfast and dinner tables. Cabinet merely concurs, as required by that family, sometimes out of fear, and at other times because of an overpowering desire to remain in office.

What is absolutely clear, dear people of St. Kitts and Nevis, is the fact that our country is now akin to a runaway train, and, if something is not done fairly soon, the train will continue on its rampage. It may jump the rails, or it may remain on them until it slams into the bottom of a ravine, perhaps with a mighty explosion.

We need to remove the incumbent regime, dear people, for, if we do not, we will surely end up where we do not want to be, and in a state that we do care to be in.

Under SCHEME UNITY, our country is like the proverbial runaway train on A RACE TO THE BOTTOM.