By: Thinking Citizen
A story has been making the rounds for some time now that a minister in the Team Unity Government cannot account for a missing sum of EC$ 10,000 of campaign funds donated to his party by supporters of his party living in Canada.
The Minister’s party is known to have within its membership persons of high qualifications in Economics, Finance and Accounting, so it is difficult to understand how it is possible for such a large sum of money to have gone missing for such a long time without a trace.
No such thing has ever been heard or said about the St. Kitts – Nevis Labour Party or its predecessor organization in all its 80 years or so of existence. Nothing of the sort was ever said about the Labour Party during Bradshaw’s time or Southwell’s time or Lee Moore’s time.
More recently, no reports or rumours of missing campaign funds have emerged since Dr. Douglas became the steward of the party.
Bradshaw built his home on Basseterre along Red Cross Road in Western Basseterre. E. St. John Payne built his home at Bird Rock on Basseterre.
St. John’s construction of his home at Bird Rock was challenged by PAM Party on the allegation that the land in which his home was built was Government land was not paid for, as it had been government land which had been given to St. John free. This was later proved to be false to the satisfaction of all concerned.
Lee Moore built his home on the lands of a small private estate named Mardenborough on the western slopes of Monkey Hill in St. Peter’s. Again, just like St. John, Lee Moore’s building was challenged on the basis that he had not bought his land which had been given to him by Government. It was later proven publicly that Lee Moore had bought his land from the late Austin Eddy, who was then a Real Estate agent selling land for private owners on the open market. PAM had not been able to break the reputation of the Labour Party for Honesty and Integrity one bit.
PAMites should also remember the controversy that followed the arrival of the MV Caribe Queen to the Federation to carry out the daily ferry runs between Nevis and St. Kitts.
Shortly after the Caribe Queen began its ferry service between Nevis and St. Kitts, word started to make the rounds to the effect that the Government had not bought the ferry as had been previously said. It had been said previously that the vessel was not a gift, but a purchase. What is the truth of the matter? Your guess is just as good as mine.
We move next to the Team Unity Government. The Government received a grant of several million dollars from the Government of Venezuela to compensate the Sugar Workers who lost their jobs as a result of the closure of the sugar industry in 2005.
A certain Government Minister made the announcement and stated that the grant was in US currency. However, sometime later the Government changed the story and announced that the grant had been made in EC currency. US $16 mil is a far cry from EC $16 mil.
Several months ago the Ministers in Team Unity made me laugh. One Cabinet Minister announced that nothing about the Stem Cell Research had ever been discussed in Cabinet. Another Cabinet Minister declared that the matter of the Stem Cell Research had been discussed truly in cabinet. The matter apparently had been approved. Truth apparently is no longer a precious thing.