Published 7 July 2017
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News.
Opposition Leader Douglas blasts PM Harris for his insensitivity to the unemployed and hungry families.
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JULY 7TH 2017 – Leader of the Opposition the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas has accused Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris of insensitivity to the plight of persons who are unemployed with hungry families, while at the same time boasting of the millions allocated to fighting the escalating incidences of serious crimes.
Dr. Douglas told listeners to Wednesday’s edition of Issues on Freedom 106.5 FM that boasting about the allocation of EC$72 million to National Security will not in itself fight crime when nepotism and political interference in the law enforcement agencies are highly visible.
“Can money itself solve crime when in its midst there is the practise of nepotism by the minister of national security himself,” asked Dr. Douglas.
He slammed Dr. Harris for scorning those who today are suffering from abject poverty, lack of opportunities, live in socially depressing conditions with no parental guidance, with no support and have drifted into a life of crime.
“It is insensitive, when the prime minister can tell the country that ‘poverty is not related to criminal activity because he was poor once and today he is the prime minister.’ It is insensitive to the suffering of the people and he does not understands what it means when a young man has to wake up in the morning, his children in front of him crying , hungry, and his partner is there with her eyes wide open with no job to go to. What does he understands that is going through the minds of those two young people, who are facing the realities of the day that poverty is really a sin and a drawback to the human spirit and the upliftment of the quality of life of human beings,” Dr. Douglas articulated.
“Harris does not understand. He does not wish to understand as his pockets are full. His belly is full and overflowing and hunger he no longer understands,” said Dr. Douglas, who appealed to the authorities to bring all factors that impact upon criminal activity in St. Kitts and Nevis to the table to plan strategies and find workable solutions that can be implemented to bring St. Kitts and Nevis back under control “so that the human development that is intended for our people can be realized.”
He said Harris and his Team Unity – PLP/CCM/PAM coalition politicised crime while in opposition.
“They did not indicate then that they had the solutions. They simply said put us into office and we will solve the problem of crime. Is the problem of crime being solved today? Is it worst? Is it the same? Has it abated? Can the prime minister stand in public, in parliament and at his press conferences and honestly say that crime is trending downwards; that crime is being dealt with in the way that it should be dealt with by this administration,” he asked.
