By: Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Friday 12th April 2019)- Responding to a reporter’s question about an alleged recent security breach at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport, Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Dr. Timothy Harris disclosed that he is unaware that such an incident has taken place.
“Like the Minister of Aviation [Mark Brantley], I do not know of that, and this is a season perhaps for rumour mongering and for these kind of scandalous and unsubstantiated claims to be put.”
Dr. Harris was at the time replying during the question and answer segment of his live broadcast monthly press conference held on Tuesday 9th April at the Parliamentary Lounge at Government Headquarters on Church Street.
The reporter pointed out that when contacted Aviation Minister Brantley said he was not aware of the alleged incident but was going to take a look and investigate it.
To this end, the National Security was asked whether the incident, which allegedly involved a government official or government minister, happened and what was being done about it.
Credible information reaching this media house indicates that the alleged offender of that incident in question is a certain top ranking male government official of the Team Unity Government led by PM Harris.
This media house has learnt also that the complainant in the matter is a female employed as a security officer who at the time working the departure lounge area of the airport.
Further details gathered claim that the airport worker informed the official that he was not allowed to go beyond a point which was met with disobedience on his part to make good on such aviation rules. Additionally, it is said that the official was also vocally defiant while interacting with the security officer.
The day after Dr. Harris’ press conference, his political opponent Leon Natta-Nelson of the opposition St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) for Constituency Seven- who is a senior customs officer- chimed in on the widely debated matter during his appearance on the Party’s weekly sponsored ‘Issues’ programme aired live on Freedom FM (106.5) on Wednesday 10th April.
“”Listening to the Prime Minister’s press conference, the leaders of this government seem to maliciously want to dismiss that there was an incident at the airport where there was a breach of security,” he commented.
According to Natta-Nelson: “National security should be treated with the utmost respect and seriousness and should be dealt with in a proper manner at all times. To dismiss the claims that there was no issue or ‘I cannot recall or the Minister of Aviation did not say anything; did not mention anything to me’, is totally disrespectful to the people of this nation of St Kitts and Nevis. We ought to know better and do better than that.”