By: Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Thursday 9th October 2025)-“A female premier in Nevis is long overdue…”
So said Leader of the opposition Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) Dr. Janice Daniel-Hodge during the public session of the party’s convention held on Sunday 5th October 2025, at the Nevis Performing Arts Centre located at Pinney’s Estate.
Referencing the words of the well-known late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, she commented: “I can recall, since I was going to college, Margaret Thatcher once said, ‘If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.’ I will say to you that the strength of a woman, a serious woman, is what we need in Nevis right now.”
Dr. Daniel-Hodge went on to recognize the strong women within the NRP’s ranks.
“You have the strength of this woman. You have the strength of Dr. [Patricia] Bartlette, you have the strength of Jadee Caines…don’t underestimate the strength of a woman. NRP is the party that is always leading and I thank them for making me the first female leader of this party.”
Expressing gratitude to her fellow women in the movement, she continued: “And I am thankful to my caretakers who are also women ….because we know that for the men it is so much easier, it is so much easier, and for us women it is so much harder. We have you, and to the extent that we have stuck with you and we have said that we are not going anywhere. We came here to do a job and we are going to get the job done.”
Dr. Daniel-Hodge declared her readiness to lead.
“So I think we’re getting to the point now where NRP would have taken the step and named me as the first female leader, and you know what? It is time, I think, for us to move forward to give Nevis its first female. I am ready for the job.”
Reiterating her call for change, she said: “A female premier in Nevis is long overdue and I can assure you, with the support of like-mindedness people in Nevis, I can assure you that once we recognize we cannot continue under the leadership of the CCM party, once we recognize that it’s time to turn the page and give Nevis the leadership that it deserves-leadership that shows compassion, leadership that is caring, leadership with a vision-we will get it done.”
She criticized the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) administration headed by Premier Mark Brantley.
“We have gotten to the point where, I’m speaking to everybody, we must turn the page. We have seen the incomplete projects. We have seen the injustice with the SSC legislation. We cannot continue like this.”
Dr. Daniel-Hodge emphasized the NRP’s mission and purpose saying: “People do not have to wonder what our priority is in NRP. The name of our party is the Nevis Reformation Party. Our purpose and our focus is to reform Nevis. We have done it before. We will do it again and that is why some people get a little antsy you know. But to my friends from the waters, don’t get antsy when we say Nevis is our first priority; that is what we are here for because I can assure you that once Nevis is our first priority and we take Nevis where it’s supposed to go, yes you’ll come with us.”
Of note, she was elected the party’s first female leader at a party’s convention in September 2020. She is the daughter of the late Premier Simeon Daniel, one of the country’s national heroes.