Published 4th July 2020
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
Prime Minister and Area Parliamentary Representative for St. Christopher Seven, Dr the Hon Timothy Harris, on Saturday July 4 took time from his busy schedule to hold one-on-one consultations with his constituents which he said form part of the good governance and accountability agenda.
In the first one-on-one consultation session since the start of his second term, held at the Constituency Office on Main Street in Tabernacle Village, Prime Minister Harris saw close to one hundred persons from all over St. Kitts and Nevis, and mainly from within the constituency, irrespective of the fact that the session had not been well publicized.
“The one-on-ones are important and we are going to have more of them,” said Dr Harris. “Those that are to come will be even more publicised in advance so that those who need to come would have an opportunity to do so.”
He however observed that one-on-one consultations in the constituencies are intended primarily and principally for the constituents, the persons resident in the constituency who need that audience since the Prime Minister runs an open government whose officers are available to meet with people requiring their support, and their advice and added that as Team Unity ministers they want to lead by example.
Following the historic June 5 General Election where Team Unity secured nine out of the eleven parliamentary seats, the Prime Minister said that the elected representatives will be holding regular one-on-one consultations with their constituents.
“Take St. Kitts now we have six elected representatives of the people and it is my hope that each representative will on a regular basis, at a mutually convenient time for himself and his constituency and in the case of Akilah Byron-Nisbett a time convenient to her and her constituents, make themselves available so that the constituents would have that opportunity for dialogue, for conversation, and for updating,” observed Dr Harris. “They are very critical – they are part of the good governance and accountability agenda which we have been treating seriously and we hope to continue that way.”
He pointed out that for the Saturday July 4 one-on-one consultations persons had come from all over the country as they wanted to relate to the Prime Minister, or simply for the fact that they find that it might have been more advantageous for them to go to higher level in which case the higher level would be the Prime Minister.
“But we try here to serve as many people and we attempt to deal with persons on a first come first served basis, bearing in mind though that the constituency one-on-one are intended principally to give service, support, advice and counsel to the constituents,” commented Dr Harris.
At the one-on-one consultations, the Prime Minister noted that wide array of issues were discussed and he is looking forward to assist those persons and the matters which fall within the ambit of the government. Those who simply needed advice and information regarding a number of subject matters, he was able to provide guidance in terms of directing them to the appropriate institutions that would offer that help.
“To those who still want to have one-on-one there will be an opportunity next week,” said Dr Harris in reference to those who were not able to see him, and those will want to see him now that he has started the one-on-one consultations in the constituency.
He added: “We can safely say that next Thursday afternoon July 9 the Prime Minister will have a follow-up constituency one-on-one consultation at a venue in St. Christopher Seven to be determined, which is likely to be either Molineux or Lodge, but we have to check the availability of the traditional venues.”
