Published 8 June 2017
Founder/CEO of The Hanley Group Network lashes out at PM Harris
CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS, June 8th 2017 – Founder and CEO of The Hanley Group Network has lashed out at the Federation’s Prime Minister, Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris for ignoring the high-level of criminal activity and ignoring those who helped him to become the Federation’s third prime minister.
Hanley, who made certain public statements during a special edition of “Issues” on Freedom 106.5 FM on Monday said he called out Prime Minister Harris for what “I thought was an ill advised move.”
“He made a post basically saying he is happy to be in Taiwan and oh how such warm hospitality when we have young men and women getting killed by trigger happy folks here. Some folks thought I should not have gone after the Prime Minister. Say what? I didn’t go after him either. I expressed my disappointment in the post. Even if I went after him, for heaven’s sake, he is the leader and we should hold him accountable for his words and actions,” said Hanley, a former Press Secretary to Nevis Premier Hon. Vance Amory and his CCM-led Nevis Island Administration.
Hanley, in the field of Marketing and Strategy said his statement is not a personal attack on Prime Minister Harris.
“That doesn’t mean it’s personal. He asked for the job and he campaigned hard for it so he should know what it entails,’ said Hanley, who said he has been pondering over the last two years.
“When the PM (Harris) was in the wilderness looking for a home, these hangers on weren’t around. When he was in the wilderness, I am one of the persons he called for advice DAILY. When he used to make his frequent trips to Nevis to have his strategy and campaign meetings, God knows I wondered if my name was taxi driver. When he and Team Unity launched in Greenlands, he became Prime Minister that night and ask him who launched him. Ask him who inspired the thousands all across St. Kitts and Nevis and begged them to vote for this man. Ask him who he depended on to boost him and everyone at Greenlands park that night and the list goes on and on. So you see, not only as a citizen of St Kitts and Nevis, but as someone who has been out in the cold with him,” Hanley said.
Stating categorically that he has “all rights to lambast him when I see fit,” Hanley said: “those who are now eating at the trough (I got that phrase from Mark Brantley) you have NO AUTHORITY to tell me what to do or not to do.”
Hanley has moved from the banking industry with companies such as JP Morgan Chase, Discover Card and Citi Financial, to the entertainment industry, before his broadcasting and media industry career.
Several former members of Prime Minister Harris’ People’s Labour Party (PLP) have been highly critical of him in relation to his election campaign and manifesto promises of good governance, accountability and transparency.
Former PLP chairman, Douglas Wattley, has accused PLP leaders of using information from Social Security to target high income earners for campaign donations in the lead up to the February 16th 2015 General Elections.
Wattley, along with former PLP general secretary and Harris’ former Press Secretary, Clecton Phillip and the Federation’s Ambassador to the United Nations, His Excellency. Sam Condor are among ousted PLP executive members who have called for accountability for EC$10 million earmarked for campaign financing.
The former PLP members have also publicly criticised Dr. Harris and his Team Unity Administration for the unprofessional treatment of senior public officers including Ambassador Sam Condor and former Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Patrick Martin, Permanent Secretary of Health, Ionie Willett
“I object to the deplorable state of the Health Sector. I object to the neglect of Constituency # 8. I object to a culture of corruption that the TUG wants to install in my Country. I object to the TUG because it lied to get into power. I object because I was an instrument of that lie and for that I apologize,” said Wattley in an earlier statement.
Several executive and founding members of the PLP were not invited to the inaugural PLP convention in March and were replaced.
Photo 1 – Mr. Mervin Hanley
Photo 2 – Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris
