Issue #1259 PM MUM ON MONC NEVIS TACKLES · 2 days ago · PM MUM ON MONC NEVIS TACKLES “EMBARRASSING” ROAD STORY ON PAGE 3... STORY ON PAGE 11... Page:2 The St.Kitts Nevis Observer

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The Federation’s Politically Independent News SourceFriday December, 14th 2018 Issue #1259

YACHT MYSTERY SOLVED?

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HARRIS CHARTS THE BUDGET COURSE

PM MUM ON MONC NEVIS TACKLES “EMBARRASSING” ROAD

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The St.Kitts Nevis Observer - Friday December 14th, 2018 LOCAL NEWSPage:2

Minister Brantley recognises CARICOM-Cuba Day

The 16th anniversary of Cuba’s increasing relationship with the in-dependent states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was rec-ognised by Hon Mark Brantley, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Aviation in St. Kitts and Nevis.

“The Government and people of St. Kitts and Nevis take great pride in joining with the Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), in the observance of the 16th anniversary of CARICOM-CUBA Day

celebrated on Dec. 8,” said Hon Brantley. “As we reflect on Cuba’s in-creasing relationship with the independent states of CARICOM, we are re-minded of the common-alities that exist between the Cuban people and the people of the CARICOM region.’

“This relationship has al-lowed us as a Caribbean people, to collaborate at the bilateral and multi-lateral level to advance our respective develop-mental agendas, while at the same time fulfil the sustainable development goals as agreed at the

United Nations.

“Cuba has continued to be a great ‘amigo’ and part-ner to CARICOM, espe-cially in the area of health and human capacity development,” Brantley said. “Cuba continues to train scores of Caribbean nationals principally in the area of medicine, as well as other areas which will inevitably contrib-ute to the development of stronger communities throughout our region.

“Cuban doctors are also an asset to the Health sectors of our Caribbean coun-tries, filling the gaps in

health care, and providing the much needed special-ist care to our vulnerable populations. Currently, 25 nationals undertaking tertiary studies in Cuba, and to date, 120 nation-als have graduated from Cuban universities.

“Cuba has always been one of the first countries to respond to the needs of our Caribbean countries in terms of disaster and for this, and the many ad-ditional areas where we have strengthened coop-eration, the Government and people of Cuba must be lauded for their in-valuable service to our

region.

“CARICOM, remains at the forefront of those who continue to reiter-ate the clarion call for the normalisation of relations between the United States of America and Cuba, and as is cus-tomary St. Kitts and Nevis has maintained its annual support for Resolution 72/4 of the United Nations General Assembly entitled, “Necessity of ending the outdated economic, commercial and finan-cial embargo imposed by the United States against

Cuba.”

“As we continue to cel-ebrate and embrace this mutually beneficial rela-tionship of cooperation and solidarity between CARICOM and Cuba, we are confident that our relationship will continue to grow by leaps and bounds, and I therefore extend every good wish for the peace and pros-perity of the Government and people of Cuba.

Viva Cuba! Viva CARICOM! Long live CARICOM-Cuba relations!

Purplez Party Palooza presents the first ever Miss Dainty Pageant Show

By Monique Washington

Scheduled to be on 24th December, at the Cultural Village, 7:00 pm sharp.

Miss Dainty pageant 2018, will see seven young ladies between the ages of seven to ten years old compete. Participating will be T’Shanzi Taylor, Shadae Wilkinson, Akyla Liburd, T’Nihija Lawrence, Keevana Claxton, Akaijah Aulder and Alyssa Jeffers.

Organizer Miss Meredith Gumbs also known as “Liciousss” said the pageant was inspired by her daughter Anizure (Dimplez).

“My daughter and I al-ways enjoy playing pag-eantry at home. I hosted my first Halloween party in October where I gained the confidence and I decided if I could have accomplished that in such a short timeframe, three weeks to be exact, then I will move forward

in hosting this pageant. I have been thinking of doing this for two years now” she said.

After the party was a smash, Gumbs moved forward in preparations for December. She noted that so far everything has fallen in place and preparations were com-ing along smoothly. She explained that this will be the first time that all seven contestants will be par-ticipating in a pageant,

but she described them as very brave and very confident.

When questioned as to what can be expected for the night of the show, Gumbs said the young ladies will be “Dazzling up Christmas”

“The show will open up with the ice breaker. First judged segment will be the Christmas message where they will say something about

Christmas, then we will have talent which will be followed by the creative Christmas wear,” she said.

When asked why host a show so close to Christmas she said that she loves the holiday and wanted to create some-thing and a place for per-sons to go on Christmas Eve.

“There isn’t anything re-ally happening in Nevis

on Christmas eve. You walk up and down town, people will be bursting bombs so instead of that why not just come and see an exciting show.” she said.

She pointed out that there will also be special per-formances by the KORE Band, The Elite Dance Theatre, Shekhinah Dance Theatre, Sugar Hill String Band, and Synergy Band. Calypsonians such as

Pupa Wheeler, Daddy Hog and Unexpected will perform after the Pageant show.

The show kicks off on December 24th at 7 pm sharp, at the Cultural Village.

Gumbs also showed ap-preciation to her spon-sors, Marcy’s Tasty Bites, SL Horsfords, Joseph Parry, REFiiC, Digicel Nevis, Nisbett Plantation, Pembertons, Carinos, TDC, Gloria Caines, Riviera House, Pinney’s Gas station, Gift In A Box, Andrea’s Clothing Store, Food Center, Rawlinson Isaac, Turtle Time, Chrishi Beach, Lefco, Carl Claxton, Sunshines, Nevis Equestrian Centre, Percy’s Jewelry and Fashion Closet.

The theme of this year’s Miss Dainty Pageant is “SPREADING CHRISTMAS WITH LOVE AND CHEER FOR MISS DAINTY’S DAZZLING FIRST YEAR”

The St.Kitts Nevis Observer - Friday December 14th, 2018LOCAL NEWS Page:3

No comment yet by PM Harris on MoNCLoshaun Dixon

Two days after the Opposition fi led a Motion of No Confi dence (MoNC), the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis the Hon. Timothy Harris has yet to pro-vide a comment on the matter with his of-fi ce citing the coming budget debate as the reason.

The MoNC was fi led by the Opposition on Tuesday afternoon, less than 24 hours be-fore the prime minis-ter was set to deliver the Budget Address.

The Observer con-tacted the Prime Minister’s press secretary, Valencia Grant, to try and procure a comment from Dr. Harris but was advised it would

be diffi cult to get comment due to the upcoming budget debate.

Up until press time no one from the govern-ment had commented in response to the MoNC.

Speaker of the National Assembly, the Hon A. Michael Perkins at the start of the budget debate promised to give pri-ority in the revision of the MoNC.

“In accordance with Section 27 of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly, as Speaker, I am now mandated to, and I will immediately begin to assess the Motion of No Confi dence as submitted. I would begin an analysis of the Motion as sub-mitted to determine

whether or not it has been properly brought before this National Assembly or

alternatively, I would have the authority to amend the Motion as I see fi t and set it down for a subse-quent sitting.”

He noted that any such motion in Parliament must be given three days notice.

“Having received it only yesterday [Tuesday Dec 11], clearly it is not proper for it to even enter-tain a debate today. I would have to note here I am already fac-ing particular con-straints seeing we are now at the start of our budget discus-sion, which is likely to continue for a few days,” Perkins said.

“Notice has al-ready been given for the next sitting of Parliament on Dec 19. “I will do my best to address the mat-ter with all the prior-ity and importance it demands.”

Perkins promised to provide more infor-mation on the issue during the Parliament session Wednesday.

A Motion of No

Confi dence could see the fall of the govern-ment if a majority of elected members in the Parliament votes in its favour, forcing the Prime Minister to resign or call an election.

However, this seems unlikely and it is an-ticipated this motion will fail.

Leader of the Opposition the Hon Dr. Denzil Douglas in an address said the MoNC was filed with the Clerk of the National Assembly on Tuesday afternoon and wanted it be heard as a matter of urgency.

“I want to emphasize as per the standing or-der of the rules of the National Assembly, I earlier today gave notice to the Clerk of the National Assembly of a pre-sentation of a Motion of No Confidence in the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and asked that it be noted in the order book of the Assembly for tabling and debate as a matter of urgen-cy,” Douglas said.

Dr. Douglas noted that he has asked that the be tabled Motion of No Confidence at the next sitting of the National Assembly if possible so that it can be debated and disposed of as ur-gent business. He as accused the prime minister of misman-agement and being undemocratic.

Douglas himself has been the subject of a Motion of No Confidence when he was Prime Minister. In December 2012 the Hon Mark Brantley-led Opposition filed a Motion of No Confidence in the Dr. Denzil Douglas Administration. That Motion was never heard, prompting t h e n - O p p o s i t i o n members to chal-lenge the then-Speak-er Curtis Martin in court.

A long legal battle ensued with Speaker Martin refusing to ta-ble the motion, citing it is now sub-judice and won’t be heard until the court makes a determination. That prompted other Opposition members to file two further No Confidence Motions in 2013.

None of the Motions of No Confidence were ever tabled and elections were called in February 2015 that resulted in the fall of the Denzil Douglas administration.

In 2017 the court ruled that the rights that are implicit in section 52-(6) had been violated by the failure of the Speaker to schedule the mo-tion of no confidence for debate, and to be voted on without un-due delay and within a reasonable time of the motion being handed to the clerk, or sent, or left at the clerk’s office.

Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis the Hon. Timothy Harris


EDITORIAL

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Kenneth Williams

Website: newstkittsnevisobserver.com

Editorial Policy: The Observer reserves the right to edit, rewrite, summa-rise or reject any unsolicited material. We will assume that all letters ad-dressed to The Observer or its staff are intended for publication unless oth-erwise stated. Letter writers are required to sign their names and are asked to include a telephone number to allow verifi cation. Views expressed in letters, commentaries or personal columns do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of this newspaper. Limit submissions to 1000 words

St. Kitts Nevis

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Basseterre, St. Kitts, W.I. Charlestown, Nevis, W.I.

Tel.: (869) 466-4994 Tel.: (869) 469-5907

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Its cup runneth over…St. Kitts and Nevis

deserves betterIt was an exhilarating moment for the smallest independent country in the Western Hemisphere when Tuesday December 11 saw the inaugural docking of the world’s largest cruise ship, MS Symphony of the Seas, at Port Zante in downtown Basseterre. It was a double blessing as berthed beside it was yet another inaugural docking, by the Norwegian Jade.

For the citizens and residents of the twin-island Federation, the two luxury liners with a combined maximum capacity of over 8,000 passengers were a harbinger to the value-added activities that took place on that Tuesday with the opening of the new East Line Bus Terminal on Wellington Road in Basseterre in the afternoon. The new terminal, which will soon be followed by the West Line Bus Terminal, has revolutionised the commuter transport sector, not just in the Federation but in the entire region.

The year is ending on a high note with the Dr Timothy Harris led Team Unity Administration delivering another, the third in a row, double salary payment to civil servants on Friday December 14. Christmas cheers will be triggered off come Friday December 21 when households earning less than $3,000 a month will start receiving a $500 monthly top-up through Team Unity Administration’s Poverty Alleviation Programme.

With Tuesday December 11 presenting itself as the day the citizens and resi-dents of this twin-island Federation celebrated the collective advancement that has been realised, Leader of the Opposition Dr Denzil Douglas took it upon himself to spoil the party by fi ling a motion of no confi dence (MONC) in the Government of Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris.

We categorically submit that it is Dr Douglas’ and his party’s Constitutional right to fi le a motion of no confi dence. The irony here is that he is the same person who as Prime Minister when faced with a motion of no confi dence fi led by the then opposition, which had the numerical strength in the House to topple his government, he held it in abeyance for twenty six months.

He is aware the motion of no confi dence has no merit. In the face of a solid Unity Team, he does not even have the numbers in parliament for it to go through. He cannot stop the party when the country is experiencing unprece-dented growth under the stewardship of the Dr Timothy Harris-led Team Unity Administration.

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Small business centre discusses local artist’s rights

With Carnival activities set to intensify soon the newly launched Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) gave 30 local musicians partici-pating in the festivities an opportunity to learn about their rights as artists.

The role of the SBDC, which was launched on Nov. 22, is to en-courage, promote, fa-cilitate and assist the establishment, growth and development of small businesses in the Federation.

“This is the fi rst train-ing workshop that the SBDC has had and it comes at an opportune time when musicians need to learn about the rights to their material,” SBDC Project Offi cer Delwayne Delaney said.

“We know persons will be coming up with new songs and new beats, so this is just a way of sen-sitizing them about their rights as it relates to protecting their work.”

The workshop was fa-cilitated by Registrar (Ag.) at the Intellectual Property Offi ce St. Kitts and Nevis (IPOSKN) Jihan Williams. She gave an in-depth pre-sentation on their rights as artists.

Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), which are trade and de-velopment agreements negotiated between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacifi c (ACP) partners engaged in regional economic in-tegration processes were described by Ministry of International Trade

employee Shenille Smithen. She gave an overview about tapping into new markets.

Delaney said an upcom-ing SBDC workshop

will fully address the EPAs.

“That is coming on stream in terms of train-ing and sensitization about the requirements

and what needs to be done to get into the European markets to get more exposure,” Delaney said.

“This is just one of

many workshops to come from the SBDC,” Delaney explained. “There will be more sensitization and train-ing. We are fulfi lling what we set out to do.”

Thirty artists learned about their rights during a workshop taught by Project Offi cer Delwayne Delaney and sponsored by the Small Business Development Centre.


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PMU to be given new mandate By Monique Washington

The Project Managing Unit within the Nevis Island Administration will be retooled and re-staff ed to provide great-er function to the Public Works Department.

Public Works Minister Spencer Brand said that the NIA will seek to revamp the Project Management Unit’s mandate.

“We are envisioning to retool that Project Management Unit. We are hoping to refocus the mandate of the Project Management Unit to have oversight under the mandate of the public works depart-ment for government projects on the island of Nevis,” Brand said.

Brand said that the PMU will focus on the last three components

of the stages of projects which are the tendering, the implementation and the closing and moni-toring of works.

“We will retool it, we will re-staff it and we hope that going for-ward that we can see the greater function this project management unit as it relates to how projects on the island of Nevis are executed across the various de-partments,” he said.

The Nevis Public Works Department had been responsible for ex-ecuting all repairs on all public and private high schools, repairs on the Health Centers through-out the island , road maintenance, building of booths for govern-ment affi liated projects, repairing the cultural complex amongst other projects.

The PWD mission is

to maintain, repair, re-habilitate and improve the condition of the island’s road network system and government buildings; to provide technical advice and

services to government to ensure sound infra-structural development on Nevis.

The PWD has a vi-sion to construct an

improved road network system throughout the island of Nevis that will facilitate easy and safe access and fl ow of vehicular and pedes-trian traffi c and to have

government buildings in a state of repair that is favourable for all public servants.

The NIA’s bud-get for 2019 will see the Ministry of Communications and Works has been al-located funding in the amount of $51.44 mil-lion representing 19.06 percent of the total budget.

“Included in this amount are funds al-located for our infra-structure development program including road works for Brown Hill, Bath Village and Craddock Road along with the resurfacing of the island main road from Newcastle to Cotton Ground and the drilling of three addi-tional new water wells,” Minister of Finance and Premier of Nevis Hon. Mark Brantley said.

Public Works Minister Spencer Brand


EC$13M attributable to St. Kitts Music Festival

by Loshaun Dixon

An estimated EC$13 mil-lion in economic activ-ity was generated for the economy of St. Kitts and Nevis as a direct result of the 2018 St. Kitts Music Festival, according to an economic impact assess-ment done during the June festival.

This was revealed by the Minister of Tourism Lindsay Grant and the Chairman of the St. Kitts Music Festival Damion Hobson who gave details of the assessment done by Center for Responsible Travel.

Hobson said the report was received in October this year. “GDP in the economy is estimated to have increased by EC$5.7 million dollars and the

number of jobs directly related to the festival is es-timated at 2,260. We cer-tainly raised the bar high in 2018 so you can expect even better services from my team in 2019.”

Grant disclosed that the festival was success-ful in its main objective of putting ‘heads in the beds’ of hotels during the slow season of the tour-ism industry. “It is my understanding that the important elements that we were trying to achieve out of the St. Kitts Music Festival, was during the slow season of the tour-ism industry we were trying to get heads in the beds, that is more persons at the hotels,” said Grant.

Grant noted that if the St. Kitts Music Festival did not happen spending in the economy would be

down EC$13 million for the period. “Additionally, the total number of jobs that has been attributable is almost 2,260 jobs, this suggests that if the festival did not take place there will be some 2,260 jobs fewer roughly over the one to two week period, Grant said.

“That is for persons that, say, had part-time jobs, somebody who may have just worked for a day and somebody who may have benefited outside of the festival grounds.” Grant noted that in addition to the direct expenditure by visitors and locals at the festival, the St. Kitts Music Festival also cre-ates an assortment of indirect and commu-nity benefits. “Some of which are not quantifiable through the traditional methods. For example,

the St. Kitts Music Festival includes capacity building, market access components for Kittitians and Nevisians involved in the music industry as well as other businesses and the festival has become a significant source of com-munity pride and engage-ment for residents,” Grant said. “Additionally, the St Kitts Music Festival has sparked annual fringe activities before and after the festival, some sponsored by the festival others privately planned out,” Grant added.

Of the more than 10,000 tickets that were sold for the festival, Grant said local attendees attributed for 27 percent of all tick-ets sold.

Over 1,700 of those tickets were VIP and about 8,300 were general

admission for the three day festival.

He then highlighted the regions from which the international attendees hailed. The majority came from the United States, 9 percent from the United Kingdom and 4 percent from Canada. About a quarter of international attendees came from the Caribbean region.

Grant continued, “Approximately 71 per-cent of all the attend-ees went to more than one day of the St. Kitts Music Festival, almost 64 percent of the St. Kitts attendees attended the festival for more than one day. The equivalent estimates were the United States 78 percent, Canada 92 percent, the United Kingdom 93 percent, the Caribbean 86 percent and

others 91 percent. Overall satisfaction of the music festival was very high, 33.8 percent reported that they were very satisfied, 40.2 percent reported they were satisfied and another 10.4 percent reported that in their opinion they were neutral.”

The 2018 St. Kitts Music Festival featured artists such as Lauryn Hill, Patti LaBelle, Spice, Kes and Fetty Wap among others.

Last Friday the commit-tee also announced the first wave of artists that will feature for the 2019 festival which included Smokey Robinson, Papcaan, Davido and French Montana.

The 2019 festival is scheduled for June 26- 30 at the Kim Collins Athletic Stadium.

Bananas In Addition to our regular Ala carte Menu

We will be featuring the following festive specials

23 to 30th December (closed 25th)

Goat Cheese salad with soft figs and hazelnut 15.00 Roast Tomato Soup Sourdough croutons. 10.00

Lobster Ravioli Limoncello Cream 17.00 Classic seafood Cocktail 17.00

Lobster, Scallop & Shrimp in a homemade Mayonnaise

Warm salad of duck breast. 18.00 Pomegranate, pecan and Dried Cranberry

Salmon Carpaccio , Ginger and lime 17.00 Burrata , Roast Tomato and basil. 14.00

******

Guava Glazed Kurobuta Pork tenderloin 45.00 Smashed sweet potato, sautéed kale

Thai seafood curry. 38.00 Braised Organic beef Short Ribs in red wine 45.00

Garlic mashed Potato

Organic Grass fed Skirt steak 38.00 Salsa verde, saute rosemary potatoes

Panko Crusted Salmon Filet. 35.00 Thai Curry Sauce

Open Lunch and dinner daily except Sunday Dinner only Christmas Day CLOSED. 469 1891

The St.Kitts Nevis Observer - Friday December 14th, 2018 LOCAL NEWSPage:8 LOCAL NEWSPage:8

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World’s Largest Cruise ship welcomed to St. Kitts and Nevis

By Loshaun Dixon

The world’s larg-est cruise ship the Symphony of the Seas made its inaugural berthing at St. Kitts and Nevis’ Port Zante in Basseterre on Tuesday. Its arrival was hailed as an historic occasion by Tourism Minister the Hon. Lindsay Grant.

Grant spoke at a media briefing welcoming the Symphony of the Seas and the Norwegian Jade which also made its inaugural call on Tuesday. The minister indicated the arrival of the Symphony of the Seas, carrying 6,780 passengers is a testa-ment to the resilience of the cruise industry in St. Kitts and Nevis.

“You will recognize right now we are hav-ing 447 calls this cruise year bringing St. Kitts and Nevis 1.2 million passengers. You will remember in July we welcomed our one-millionth passenger in a cruise year, another record.

“Today we have yet another record, we wel-come the largest cruise

ship in the world and for the first time in the history of St. Kitts and Nevis we have two in-augurals at once. This morning at 10 a.m. the Norwegian Jade and this afternoon, the Symphony of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world [both docket here].”

Grant indicated that it all augurs well for the cruise industry in St. Kitts and Nevis as his ministry positions itself to build relationships to make sure that the in-dustry is sustainable.

“Today we brought on board 30 or 40 students from each of the high schools in St Kitts and Nevis. This will help make sure this industry is sustainable. People will understand that we are in a service industry and not an industry of servitude. Young chil-dren, who are the next generation, will ensure this industry continues to make sure they un-derstand the level of service that we have to deliver.

“I am absolutely proud and behalf of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis, we welcome both ships

to a wonderful St. Kitts and Nevis,” Grant said.

Commenting on spin-offs accrued from the visit, Grant referred to a recent study that identi-fied that each passen-ger visiting on average spends $135.

“The 2018 Florida Caribbean Industry Association’s impact study indicated we are number three in passen-ger spend in the entire 35 jurisdictions we are

a $135 per passenger spend in St. Kitts and Nevis, with 6,780 pas-sengers on just one ship. You can do the math.

“It means that last year in the cruise year we had in this industry $450M pumped into St. Kitts and Nevis and that for is very, very significant.”

Relating to security, Grant said increased pa-trols on Tuesday should now be the norm.

“That is what it supposed to be,” the minister said. “We made sure to … make sure everybody is as engaged [for this visit] as they were for the one-millionth cruise passenger. We want this to become the norm rather than the excep-tion. We want to make sure that passengers who come off of these ships feel safe, feel satisfied and feel secure and in going forward this is what we intend to do.

“It is not only for the visitors who come here, we live here, so we must also make sure that we also feel safe.”

Grant noted he was also

satisfied with adequate attractions offered to visitors by the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.

“There is always a de-mand for more, better and new opportunities for attractions. There have been a number of young entrepre-neurs who are doing new tours and that is welcomed.

“St. Kitts is one of the few jurisdictions where there are a lot of tours available. A lot of in-dependent tours by lo-cal persons have the opportunity to provide economic impact.”

Grant hailed the vi-sion of the first Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and National Hero th RT. Hon Sir Kennedy Simmonds, who was responsible for the construction of the Port Zante facility.

“His vision some de-cades ago made all this possible with the recla-mation of Port Zante,” Grant explained. ””It is testimony to his vision that some almost 30 years later this facility can berth the largest

ship in the world. It is also a testament to his vision and foresight. We now have the op-portunity to look to-wards the west to see the preparation of an-other berthing facility, which will take two Oasis-class ships side-by-side. I think this is the only port in the Caribbean that will do so. If we are on time we should deliver that on September 23 2019.”

St. Kitts Tourism Authority CEO, Racquel Brown ac-knowledged the histor-ic achievement of two cruise ships making their inaugural call on the same day.

“Today is a very tre-mendous occasion for the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis,” Brown said. “I’m not quite sure if you know that the Norwegian Jade that’s across from us is also its inaugural call today. Today is the first time in history that we had two inaugural calls and we’ve never had that. There are very few destinations that have this honour and it was quite unique.”


St Kitts tremors are warning for preparedness: expert

By Kenichi Serino

A series of small earth-quakes that occurred last weekend north of St. Kitts are a warning that the Federation, and the Caribbean region as a whole, need to prepare for a much larger inci-dent, an expert has said.

On Dec. 6 at 4:28 p.m. to Dec. 7 at 9:50 a.m. The University of West Indies Seismic Research Centre (UWI SRC) re-corded that a burst of 54 earthquakes occurred to the north of St. Kitts ranging in magnitude from 1.2 to 4.1.

Although no one re-ported feeling the earthquakes so far, they should still be taken as a warning about the lack of earthquake prepared-ness in the region, says UWI SRC’s Dr. Joan Latchman.

“The occurrence of small [incidents] would remind us that we have a seismic hazard. And seismic hazards should be treated with great re-spect,” said Latchman.

Latchman said the re-gion has had a history of devastating earthquakes

including one of an es-timated magnitude of between 8.1 to 8.5 that struck between Antigua and Gaudeloupe in 1843. According to the UWI website, thousands were killed and the economy heavily dis-rupted. Another quake of an estimated magnitude of 7.5 to 7.9 struck west of Trinidad in 1766. An untold number of people were killed and all ma-sonry buildings and the local economy itself were destroyed.

“The goal is for us to recognize that we have

this seismic hazard in the Eastern Caribbean re-gion. To understand that because of our place in the North American and South American plates where it is converging,” said Latchman.

The convergence is happening extremely slowly however, “this fact should not make us complacent and treat the hazard as one that is not real and not serious.”

Latchman could not estimate the extent of the destruction should the region be hit by an

earthquake but said it could be much worse than past quakes.

“We would have to know the status of the building stock and what they can withstand. But if you look at the histori-cal account, the death toll was very high, the damage was very high,” said Latchman.

“Given the population density we have now, we would expect to take a high death toll if the structures were not earthquake resis-tant.” Latchman said

governments should in-clude earthquake prepa-ration into consideration when it makes public policy, such as infra-structure construction, medical and equipment preparation and build-ing code enforcement.

“The investments we are making in develop-ing these states should be done the context of sustainability. Such that when the large magnitude event oc-curs will not send us back a generation,” said Latchman.

Latchman said policy makers in the region could take their cues from their counterparts in California and Japan, who in the aftermath of serious earthquakes made plans for the fu-ture to soften the impact of future quakes.

“We should not wait to be devastated to learn, we can learn from those that have had that expe-rience and the measures they have implemented and found useful,” she said.

“It is either that we are building for the fu-ture or we are not. We are either leaving our

children a legacy they can build or not.”

Latchman warned that the effects of a devas-tating earthquake could go beyond property and economic damage but also human resources. She cited the Armenian earthquake of 1988 where 80 percent of the country’s medical pro-fessionals were killed.

“Rich countries might treat their people as ex-pendable, but we should not. When we invest in our people, it’s a ma-jor investment for our country,” Latchman said. “You don’t only lose things, you will lose people. There is knowledge, there is experience.”

Latchman said in addi-tion to government, in-dividuals should also be prepared for what they would do in the case of an earthquake.

“We have our part to play in being prepared mentally that one day certain events will oc-cur, we should be men-tally prepared so we know what to do be-fore during and after,” Latchman said.

Squatting Nevis farmers granted leasesBy Monique Washington

Farmers on Nevis who have been squatting on unowned land have been granted “tangible” leases for five years that will al-low them to get loans, after action by the Nevis Island Administration.

Minister of Agriculture Hon. Alexis Jeffers said last week that 17 crop farm-ers that had been squatting were granted five year leas-es from the government. He said, the leases will not only

allow the farmers to have proper documentation but also allow them to apply for loans.

“We have done some-thing at the Department of Agriculture. Persons who would have been squatting on lands , they would not have had the proper docu-mentation for those lands . So In our land development and stock assessment we figured that this particu-lar initiative will be one to ensure that we know who is in possession of lands throughout the island of

Nevis,” said Jeffers.

“We know what our land stock is like . We also wanted to give our farmers something tangible to hold. Because with theses leases you can get loans. Because theses leases are entitlement to these pieces of lands,” he said. The minister also noted that once a farmer can prove that he is producing on the leased lands, an ex-tension to the lease will be given.

“If there is production then of course there is a chance

for an extension to be done so that they can produce food for themselves, for their family and also for the people of Nevis . That is an important initiative,” Jeffers said In addition to the crop farmers the minister also said that 23 acres of land has been leased to nine live-stock farmers.

“Livestock is important to the people of Nevis. The reason why we have done so, once you have issued those lands and they have the lease, they can now go and fence that up . That

minimize the amount of ani-mals roaming around Nevis or roam onto people’s prop-erty,” he said.

The minister also pointed out that for the past year the DOA has handed out over 47 Farmers identity cards. These cards will entitle farmers to a discount at the Agriculture marketing divi-sion and at the supply office . Nine farmers have also been given a concession on water.

“Agriculture is alive and well,” Jeffers said.


‘Embarrassing’ piece of road on Nevis to be fixed

Brand- We will do it rightBy Monique Washington

An “embarrassing” part of Nevis’ main road between Cotton Ground Village to the Vance Amory International airport will be resurfaced as one the Island Administration’s proj-ects for the first half of 2019, said Minister of Works Spencer Brand.

“Personally, it (the road) has been an embarrassment to the people of Nevis and I hold no water in my mouth for saying it. That stretch of road has been an embarrass-ment to the island of Nevis,” said Brand.

The road was recon-structed about 15 years ago but has suf-fered water damage in addition to normal wear and tear.

Brand revealed during the 2019 Nevis Island Administration’s bud-get that “this gov-ernment intends to undertake this project in the new year.”

Brand said that it is the NIA’s hope to be able to secure the fi-nancing for the proj-ect “and be able to

finalize the terms and the package. We have been in conversation with three different contractors to under-take this project and we intend to have some serious con-versation as it relates to the proper solu-tion for this stretch of road.”

He said that all three contractors were ad-vised that only local equipment and opera-tors should be used on the project.

“We made it clear to all the contractors, that we want to make sure that all the equip-ment that will be on this project must be utilized from the is-land of Nevis. Trucks, excavator, backhoes, mini-excavators will be utilized by the lo-cal heavy equipment operators,” he said.

Brand said they ex-pect that whoever the contract will be signed will not bring any truck to the island of Nevis.

“We don’t expect them to be bring-ing an excavator to the island of Nevis . they may be bring one or two specialty

equipment but that’s it.” The minister noted that the “em-barrassing” stretch of road was in an areas where it could harm the island’s tourism developments.

“This piece of road is in an area where there is a thrust for tourism development. It is in an

area where I believe it opens up the island for significant develop-ment for opportunity and we need to make sure we get it right and we will try our best to fix it,” Brand said.

The ministered in-formed that for 2019 the NIA will “not bur-den the Public Works

Department with this stretch of road.”

“They (PWD) will be fully occupied in Brown Hill and in Cradock Road and in Bath Village. We will be focusing this stretch of road with an inde-pendent contractor.”

The same stretch of

road, from Cotton Ground to New Castle was reconstructed between 2000- 2003. The project was under-taken by Professional Technologies Ltd PROTECH. The road project at that time cost an estimated US$10 million.


East Bus Line Terminal to relieve street congestion

Another link in efforts to re-lieve street congestion and provide an economical and efficient way for commut-ers to get to work has been established with the Dec. 11 opening of the East Bus Line Terminal. More than 40 buses serve the East Line Route that spans from Dieppe Bay to Basseterre via Cayon.

The new terminal has three main sheds with ample seat-ing, one for commuter drop-offs and two for passenger loading, it accomodates ap-proximately 130 bus com-muters. There are bathroom facilities and several commer-cial spaces including a barber-shop, among other amenities.

During the Dec. 11 grand opening ceremony, the prime minister said the terminal was part of the overall plan to im-prove public transportation.

The gates were opened to the brand-new EC $4 million East Line Bus Terminal on Wellington Road in Basseterre that will significantly re-duce traffic congestion in the Baker’s Corner area and bring great relief to the residents of Johnson Street and Branch Street – the streets where the omnibus operators previously plied their trade from.

An opening ceremony was held on the island main road in front of the new bus terminal. The ceremony brought with it much excitement as dozens gathered to witness firsthand the cutting of the ribbon and experience the feel of the spa-cious and well-lit new facility.

Among those on hand to wit-ness the occasion were His Excellency the Governor General, Sir S.W. Tapley Seaton; the Federation’s only living National Hero, Dr. the Right Excellent and the Right Honourable Sir Kennedy Simmonds; Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris; Deputy Prime Minister, the Honourable Shawn Richards; Minister of Public Infrastructure and Transport, the Honourable Ian Patches Liburd; and other members of the Federal Cabinet, along with representatives of the

diplomatic and consular corps, senior government officials, East Line commuters and resi-dents of East Basseterre.

Minister Liburd, while deliver-ing remarks, said the delivery of the bus terminal was one of the initial promises he made to the people in the run up to the 2015 General Elections, and noted that he is pleased to see it come to fruition for the benefit of the people.

“No longer will you have to stand on Wellington Road and be exposed to the varying weather – the sunshine and the rain. That is of the past. We have provided you a place to shelter from the rain and the sun, a place to sit in comfort as you await your transport to your various destinations,” Liburd said.

The prime minister, who was among those who cut the rib-bon that signalled the official opening of the terminal said “the people must marvel at the things his Team Unity-led Government is achieving and delivering on behalf of the people.

“So many of you have come to see before your very eyes what is unfolding in the country, from ships where history is be-ing made to this facility – the nicest bus terminal anywhere in the world,” Dr. Harris said, noting that while St. Kitts and Nevis is one of the smallest countries in the world, “we are ahead of the game and we must keep focused.” Prime Minister

Harris further explained that these developments being pur-sued by the government are all for the benefit of the people – developments that are not only appreciated by locals, but as well by visitors to our shores.

Recalling an exchange be-tween himself and a passenger onboard the world’s largest cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas, which docked at Port Zante on Dec. 11, the pas-senger said, ‘‘the country was really moving well, we saw a lot of nice things” and I said “thank you.’’ As she passed the road works in Conaree, she saw the drainage system being set up; she learnt from the people who were tak-ing her that your Team Unity Government budgeted nigh $70 million to do all of the roads in phases,” Dr. Harris added.

During the grand opening ceremony, the prime minister said the terminal was part of the overall plan to improve public transportation.

He said the opening of the East Line Bus Terminal represents another meaningful step for-ward on the eventful journey that he and his Cabinet col-leagues have embarked upon to connect the people of St. Kitts and Nevis to economic opportunities – economic op-portunities that are flourish-ing under their leadership and stewardship of the country.

Since February 2015, Prime Minister Harris’

administration has been work-ing determinedly to shape the future of the country’s devel-opment and create opportuni-ties for all.

He said the new terminal is an addition to other similar proj-ects, including the Basseterre Ferry Terminal, which offi-cially opened last December. Dr. Harris pointed out other projects.

“The US $48-million sec-ond cruise pier that is under construction, reflects our recognition that two of the most critical links to achiev-ing these priorities are urban infrastructure and transporta-tion,” Dr. Harris said. “There are also plans to develop a West Line Bus Terminal in the near future.

During his address to the nation on Dec. 6, Prime Minister, the Honourable Dr. Harris mentioned the termi-nal’s opening and used the occasion to invite people to its grand opening.

“This new terminal has al-ready attracted rave reviews from our citizens at home and abroad,” Dr. Harris explained. “They are impressed by the sheer beauty of the facility and the enhanced convenience and protection afforded to mem-bers of the travelling public. Good things are happening here in St. Kitts.

“The bus network, in general, serves as a veritable economic bridge connecting many of

our people with jobs and other opportunities. “In accordance with our Prosperity Agenda, we have taken an important step by modernizing our bus network and relieving the street congestion that had long marred the East Line Bus Terminal’s inefficient and out-dated precursor. This trans-lates into improved safety and productivity.”

The Team Unity Government’s Prosperity Agenda has led to the highest annual wage bill, the most business licenses issued in a year and the larg-est numbers of jobs, workers and Social Security contribu-tors in the first three years of Prime Minister Harris’ administration.

Local residents who live in that area and take buses to work and shop commented. Speaking on anonymity, one resident said, “To me, it [the new location] is better be-cause there will be less traffic problems. It will be easier to get out from there. I am really glad that it is going up.”

Another resident said the in-troduction of the terminal is important because Baker’s Corner, where the buses are moving from, will be a more a peaceful environment, adding that, “after they exit the area it will also be more peaceful for persons living there.

Other residents complained about not being able to access the entrance to their premises due to the way the buses park at Baker’s Corner. One resi-dent said he is happy because the new station will help elim-inate this problem.

“I am so happy. Sometimes you can’t even get inside your own place,” he said. “It does no good to ask them [bus driv-ers] to leave the entrance free so I can get in and out. After the terminal opens and they [the buses] move, my family and I, as well as others, will be able to freely access the entrance to our premises,” adding that not all the bus-men behave the same because some leave the entrance free.

The East Line Bus Terminal on Wellington Road in Basseterre


Another businessman shot

during robberyBy Monique Washington

A businessman who has been shot in the leg during a robbery and had his vehicle stolen by masked assailants might seem to readers to be a story they read exactly a month ago, but this time it is an-other victim.

On Friday Dec. 7, Calypsonian, Chairman of the Nevis Solid Waste M a n a g e m e n t Authority Board of Directors, and man-ager at S.L Horsford, Carlisle “Binghi” Pemberton was shot in both legs during what police have confi rmed

to be an armed robbery.

According to the po-lice report Pemberton arrived at his home in Montpellier at around 10:45 p.m. on Friday.

“He was opening a gate at his home to park his car in the yard when he was attacked by two armed assail-ants. He was wounded in both legs by a single bullet. A number of personal items were taken by the assailants before they fl ed the scene in his motor jeep. Police later recovered Pemberton’s vehicle in the Bath Village area.”

Pemberton under-went surgery and is

currently warded at the Alexandra hospital.

Just one-month prior on Nov. 8 two armed masked men entered businessman John Yearwood’s home before 2 a.m. while the hotelier and his wife were sleeping. Yearwood heard the intruders and dis-charged his licensed fi rearm, wounding both men before one the assailants shot him in the leg.

The bandits escaped the scene with cash and took Yearwood’s pick-up. The vehicle was later found abandoned.

Yearwood was warded

at the hospital until he travel to Trinidad for further medical attention.

Police later charged Patrice Monzack and Mikey Mills, both of Newcastle, for the

off ence of Attempted Murder, which in-volved Yearwood. As of press time the po-lice have two persons in custody assisting in the shooting incident involving Pemberton. But no one has been

charged as yet. Persons with information re-garding this incident are being urged to con-tact the Charlestown Police Station by dial-ing 469-5391/5392 or the crime hotline by dialing 707.

Carlisle “Binghi” Pemberton


Hector calls on government to offer hotel

workers incentivesBy Monique Washington

The leader of the Nevis Reformation Party, Robelto Hector has call on the CCM- led Government go of-fer incentives to 400 employees that will be sent home from Four Seasons next year.

The Premier of Nevis Hon Mark Brantley an-nounced last week that the Four Seasons resort will be closing its doors for a four-month period from June 1 and reopen-ing in October 2019. During that time, 400 employees will be laid off.

The closure is to fa-cilitate a $40 million

upgrade that will include refurbishing all rooms, developing new parking, a new reception area, a new entrance, new restaurants, a new pool, extension to the pier, beach protection work and several other sig-nificant back-of-house improvements.

Four Seasons has agreed that during the closure they will pay affected workers 25 percent of their normal salaries while the resort is closed. The money will be paid regardless of whether workers obtain tempo-rary work elsewhere during that period.

Hector said he feels the reason the hotel did not close during the first

phase of refurbishment in 2017 was due to “po-litical pressure.”

“There is no doubt in my mind that such an elemental error in op-erations could only have occurred because of heavy political pressure on the eve of the 2017 elections,” Hector said.

Hector called for the Government to allow all affected workers to be registered with Social Services and be issued an identifica-tion card that will allow them to receive certain incentives.

He said the employees should receive a 75 per-cent discount on water and electricity bills;

forgiveness of prop-erty taxes; renewal fees; driver’s licenses; 75 per-cent reduction of import duties exclusive of VAT; suspension of mortgage payments for proper-ties financed by the Nevis land and Housing Corporation; elimina-tion of hospital charges in the event of illness; and each of the 400 per-sons should immediate-ly qualify for the $500 Poverty Alleviation Program for disadvan-tage families with a household making under $3000 monthly. “The great tragedy is the great loss of income for the over 400 workers and their families,” Hector said. “A whole way of life will be under threat as persons struggle to

survive on 75 percent less income.”

Premier Brantley noted “that his government is committed to ensuring that the negative im-pact of this four- month closure is minimized and our people are protected.” Brantley

He also advised Four Seasons employees that from December 2018 to May 2019 will have the highest occu-pancy and the highest room rates in the ho-tel’s history and work-ers should save during their ‘period of plenty.’

Leader of the Nevis Reformation Party, Robelto Hector

The St.Kitts Nevis Observer - Friday December 14th, 2018LOCAL NEWS Page:15ADVERTISEMENT

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The St.Kitts Nevis Observer - Friday December 14th, 2018 LOCAL NEWSPage:16 ADVERTISEMENT

St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank Limited Note to Summary Separate Financial Statements June 30, 2018

(expressed in Eastern Caribbean dollars)

(1)

1 Basis of preparation

These summary separate financial statements are derived from the audited separate financial statements of St.

Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank for the year ended June 30, 2018.

St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla

National Bank Limited

Summary Separate Financial Statements

June 30, 2018



St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank Limited Summary Separate Statement of Financial Position As at June 30, 2018


2018

$ 2017

$ Assets

Cash and balances with Central Bank 222,110,317 206,125,685

Treasury bills 88,881,733 107,303,739

Deposits with other financial institutions 432,946,064 755,731,009

Financial asset 783,036,376 823,124,144

Loans and receivables – Loans and advances to customers 774,871,530 715,909,826

– Originated debts 257,049,535 113,209,189

Investment securities – available-for-sale 993,165,765 916,345,753

Investment in subsidiaries 26,750,000 26,750,000

Customers’ liability under acceptances, guarantees and letters of credit 7,551,552 7,455,745

Income tax recoverable 16,748,669 29,660,703

Property and equipment 26,937,490 28,414,662

Intangible assets 279,145 290,694

Other assets 21,941,501 23,104,790

Total assets 3,652,269,677 3,753,425,939 Liabilities

Customers’ deposits 3,036,917,374 3,222,706,720

Accumulated provisions, creditors and accruals 49,853,301 26,618,915

Acceptances, guarantees and letters of credit 7,551,552 7,455,745

Income taxes payable 17,576,399 3,502,363

Deferred tax liability 6,280,708 2,976,387

Total liabilities 3,118,179,334 3,263,260,130 Shareholders’ equity Issued share capital 135,000,000 135,000,000

Share premium 3,877,424 3,877,424

Retained earnings 56,346,335 29,743,157

Reserves 338,866,584 321,545,228

Total shareholders’ equity 534,090,343 490,165,809

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity 3,652,269,677 3,753,425,939

Approved for issue by the Board of Directors on November 22, 2018.


St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank Limited Summary Separate Statement of Income For the year ended June 30, 2018


2018

$ 2017

$

Interest income 82,412,535 85,065,152 Interest expense (51,852,682) (59,337,717) Net interest income 30,559,853 25,727,435 Fees and commission income 13,740,802 15,661,573 Fees expense (13,673,498) (10,007,619) Net fees and commission income 67,304 5,653,954 Net realised gains and losses from investments 74,652,648 36,061,668 Dividend income 10,348,983 5,822,167 Gain on foreign exchange 5,447,318 4,418,282 Other operating income 953,761 811,730 Other income 91,402,710 47,113,847 Total operating income 122,029,867 78,495,236 Operating expenses Administrative and general expenses 30,966,612 31,995,975 Impairment charges 8,129,411 11,035,555 Depreciation and amortisation 2,239,325 2,345,249 Directors fees and expenses 789,714 625,479 Professional fees and related expenses 477,068 589,661

Total operating expenses 42,602,130 46,591,919

Operating profit before tax 79,427,737 31,903,317

Income tax (expense)/credit (29,298,765) 4,680,247

Net income for the year 50,128,972 36,583,564 Basic earnings per share (basic and diluted) 0.37 0.27


St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank Limited Summary Separate Statement of Comprehensive Income For the year ended June 30, 2018


2018

$ 2017

$

Net income for the year 50,128,972 36,583,564 Other comprehensive income, net of income tax: Other comprehensive income to be reclassified to profit or loss in subsequent periods: Available-for-sale financial assets:

Unrealised gain on investment securities, net of tax 42,635,734 53,552,896 Reclassification adjustments for gains/losses included in income (35,001,961) (226,664)

7,633,773 53,326,232 Other comprehensive income not to be reclassified to profit or loss in subsequent periods: Re-measurement (loss)/gain on defined benefit asset (504,793) 3,379,917 Income tax relating to item that will be reclassified subsequently to

profit or loss 166,582 (1,115,373) (338,211) 2,264,544 Other comprehensive income for the year, net of tax 7,295,562 55,590,776 Total comprehensive income for the year 57,424,534 92,174,340

Th

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t.Kitts

Nevis

Ob

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, 2018

LO

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0ADVERTISEMENT

St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank Limited Summary Separate Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity For the year ended June 30, 2018


Issued

share

capital

$

Share

premium

$

Statutory

reserve

$

Other

reserves

$

Available-

for-sale

investment

revaluation

reserves

$

Property

revaluation

reserve

$

Retained

earnings

$

Total

$

Balance as of June 30, 2016 135,000,000 3,877,424 116,449,012 180,819,188 (54,543,274) 15,912,813 13,976,306 411,491,469

Net income for the year – – – – – – 36,583,564 36,583,564

Other comprehensive income – – – 2,264,544 53,326,232 – – 55,590,776

Total comprehensive income for the

year

– – – 2,264,544 53,326,232 – 36,583,564 92,174,340

Transfer to reserve – – 7,316,713 – – – (7,316,713) –

Transaction with owners

Dividends – – – – – – (13,500,000) (13,500,000)

Balance as of June 30, 2017 135,000,000 3,877,424 123,765,725 183,083,732 (1,217,042) 15,912,813 29,743,157 490,165,809

Net income for the year – – – – – – 50,128,972 50,128,972

Other comprehensive income – – – (338,211) 7,633,773 – – 7,295,562

Total comprehensive income for the

year

– – – (338,211) 7,633,773 – 50,128,972 57,424,534

Transfer to reserve – – 10,025,794 – – – (10,025,794) –

Transaction with owners

Dividends – – – – – – (13,500,000) (13,500,000)

Balance as of June 30, 2018 135,000,000 3,877,424 133,791,519 182,745,521 6,416,731 15,912,813 56,346,335 534,090,343


St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank Limited Summary Separate Statement of Cash Flows For the year ended June 30, 2018


2018

$ 2017

$ Cash flows from operating activities Operating profit before tax 79,427,737 31,903,317

Adjustments for: Interest expense 51,852,682 59,337,717 Impairment charges 8,129,411 11,035,555 Depreciation and amortisation 2,239,325 2,345,249 Retirement benefit expense 539,460 483,532 Reclassification of projects ongoing to expense – 201,594 (Gain)/loss on disposal of equipment (14,999) 134,933 Dividend income (10,348,983) (5,822,167) Interest income (82,412,535) (85,065,152)

Operating income before changes in operating assets and liabilities 49,412,098 14,554,578 (Increase)/decrease in operating assets:

Loans and advances to customers (62,112,702) (8,447,291) Mandatory deposits with Central Bank 2,749,420 2,301,592 Other assets (4,843,756) 1,233,084

Increase/(decrease) in operating liabilities: Customers’ deposits (183,259,977) (6,357,984) Due to other financial institutions – (224,753) Accumulated provisions, creditors and accruals 23,234,386 4,740,118

Cash (used in)/generated from operations (174,820,531) 7,799,344

Interest received 78,199,998 44,327,677 Pension contribution paid (1,145,008) – Income taxes paid, including creditable withholding taxes (2,601,710) – Interest paid (54,382,051) (62,844,351) Net cash used in operating activities (154,749,302) (10,717,330) Cash flows from investing activities Proceeds from sale of investment securities and originated debt 1,163,705,272 930,779,894 Payments received from the financial asset 34,403,322 1,750,000

Decrease in special term deposit 20,269,500 – Decrease in restricted term deposits and treasury bills 18,168,519 40,179,080 Interest received from investment 13,131,861 14,345,023 Dividends received 10,348,983 5,822,167 Proceeds from sale of equipment 15,000 – Purchase of equipment and intangible assets (750,605) (2,005,857) Increase in investment securities and originated debt (1,305,469,483) (1,156,095,198) Net cash used in investing activities (46,177,631) (165,224,891) Cash flows from financing activities Dividends paid (13,500,000) (13,500,000) Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents (214,426,933) (189,442,221) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year 752,319,529 941,761,750 Cash and cash equivalents, end of year 537,892,596 752,319,529


Townhall consultations end for universal health care

Kenichi Serino

Scheduled “town hall-style” publica-tions consultations on Universal Health Care (UHC) ended this week with an event at St. Peter’s Community Centre on Monday that was attended by only a handful people.

The turnout for town halls had been relatively low but said out-reach to the public on UHC would continue though in a different forms.

“We still think meeting people where they are is the best approach but we just need to change the specifications of it,” Clarke said.

Clarke said the UHCSKN had already begun outreach in workplaces to inform the public about the proposal to create universal health care in Clarke.

“We’re going into our public service workplaces so the civil servants are getting department specific outreach,” Clarke said.

“We’ve also out-reached to the manu-facturing service. We’re meeting people where they are but we’ve elevated it from their homes to where they work.”

Though the event in St. Peter wasn’t well attended, those members who did show up were engaged and asked questions.

St. Peters resident Ophelia Blanchard said she believed that universal health care was necessary but believed that people should learn more about the details.

“Given that it is vital you would expect more people would be in attendance,”

Blanchard said.

Clarke said that getting public input into the proposal for universal health care and deciding what a final version of the policy should look like.

“That is the intent [of getting public input], understanding expectations and what persons are comfortable with. The practice we can put into context of what is palpable to St. Kitts and Nevis,” said Clarke.

“We have an obligation to push the com-munity, [but] we can’t push it beyond what it is comfortable with.”

Blanchard said she knew many people were looking forward to universal health care but don’t realize that it could take time before it becomes available.

“They think they are going to benefit right away, Blanchard said.

In fact, the proposal for UHC is still in it’s early, Green Paper, stage where the commission is still seeking public com-ment. Clarke said the next stage will be to hire an actuary will also have to look over the proposal to estimate and check the real costs of the universal health care. Clarke said they are currently contract-ing the actuary, who will be funded by the Pan-American Health Organization. The actuary is set to begin in the new year and will complete their work in no more than two months. With the advice of the actuary, the commission will then create a White Paper, which will be a formal policy proposal that will be sub-mitted to cabinet and the public for con-sideration which should be done within the first three months of 2019.

Clarke said more data would also need

to be collected to understand what will be demanded of a possible universal health care plan. At the moment, com-prehensive health data is only collected by the public health sector and the pri-vate health sector only provides infor-mation on some communicable diseases to the government.

“We actually need to prioritize universal data capture so that we can make proper projections,” Clarke said.

“We need to get the full picture of that so that we can make the proper projections and that will help us in understanding the true cost of health care.”

Clarke said she expected broad support for politicians for universal health care once a White Paper is created as their is agreement that some kind of programme is needed.

“It’s something that they’ve already started to wrap their minds around be-cause they’ve already seen the social impact of financial ruin as a result of health,” Clarke said.

From her own experience, Blanchard agrees that some kind of universal health care is necessary. She says right now people must ask for help from their communities for help in getting medical treatment. “Persons are always asking for sponsorships,” Blanchard says. “It actually [would] help to have a national health service.” The proposed universal health care system would create a na-tional health insurance which citizens would pay into. How much each person would pay is still being discussed as is who will be exempt from payment.

The town halls on the proposal, Green Paper, on UHC have been taking place

over the last four months across the fed-eration of St. Kitts and Nevis, including in Cayon and Conaree last week.

“The consultations have been quite use-ful as the commission members were able to clear up a number of issues,” said Coordinator of the Universal Health Care Secretariat Clifford Griffin.

“Some of the more common questions relate to benefit and financing options, as well as implications for persons who already have private insurance.”

For more information about the Green Paper interested individuals can visit the National Commission at its office at the Sands Complex, 466-9697, or log on to www.facebook.com/SKNNCUHC.

The Green Paper for Universal Health Care for the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis is available online at sknis.kn.

According to the Green Paper:

“Renewed policy attention to Universal Health Care and a National Health Insurance System (NHIS) is being driv-en by ongoing concerns and challenges related to the burden of diseases, the demand for, delivery and financing of an efficient health care services with the need to ‘be more sustainable’; ‘provide barrier-free access’ and ‘improve finan-cial protection.’

“These concerns and challenges include, but are not limited to:

--Gaps in accessing care especially by those without private insurance who have to make high out of pocket

“St. Peter resident Ophelia Blanchard asks a question duing a town hall on universal health care on Monday night”

“Universal Health Care for St. Kitts and Nevis chairperson Azilla Clarke explains the health care proposal to a town hall in St. Peter on Monday night

Continued on Page 27



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Sustaining Growth and Prosperity PM Delivers $770M 2019 budget

By Loshaun Dixon

Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and Minister of Finance the Hon Dr. Timothy Harris delivered a $772.9M budget on Wednesday that will guide gov-ernment spending in 2019 under the theme “Sustaining Growth and Prosperity.”

In delivering draft esti-mates highlighting rev-enue and fi nancial sums attached to government programmes, Dr. Harris disclosed the govern-ment plans to spend $772.9M to support its programmes in 2019.

He highlighted al-locations for the various ministries. Some of the alloca-tions were: Governor General ($2.1M), The Offi ce of the Parliament ($2.08M), Justice Legal Aff airs and Communication ($14.4M), The Offi ce of the Prime Minister ($48.5M) National Security ($79.8M), Ministry of Finance ($247M), Tourism ($30M), Public infra-structure ($72M) and Education ($89M).

Dr. Harris said the government’s aim is to improve the delivery of public service that contribute to increasing growth in the economy and to improve the lives of all the people of St. Kitts and Nevis. “This budget debate must be about how we are enhancing the quality of life for the ordinary people,” the Minister of Finance said.”This budget, then, is about how we sustain the growth and prosperity that is happening in our country and everyone is marveling about it how St. Kitts and Nevis is moving along and mov-ing ahead.” Dr. Harris noted that 2018 has

been a momentous year for St. Kitts and Nevis.

“We can confi dently de-clare the many blessings that God has bestowed on our country. Our Government is particu-larly proud to refl ect on the record achievements since taking the reins of government in February 2015. The impact of the various policy ini-tiatives, programmes and projects of our ad-ministration has been far reaching and is be-ing felt throughout the communities.”

The Prime Minister said they have delivered so-lution in many areas to improve the lives of the people.

“We delivered solu-tions in Education, in Healthcare, in Housing, in water sanitation, road and other public infra-structure. No invest-ment in our people is too great.

“We will continue to invest in these areas in order to achieve our goal of sustainable and people inclusive devel-opment and our vision of shared prosperity for all citizens and residents of our beloved country.”

Dr. Harris identifi ed the signifi cance of the theme of the 2019 bud-get theme Sustaining Growth and Prosperity is important as they re-main determined to de-liver the promises to the people.

“This theme is rooted in my government’s determination to de-liver on the mandates given by the people. The achievements of the government are well known to the people of St. Kitts and Nevis and many across the region who continue to marvel at the achievements we have made to date.

“We are determined to take action where pos-sible to move our so-ciety closer to one that refl ects greater equity across the population. As we continue to im-plement our prosperity agenda we will continue to do all that is possible to ensure a fair share for all of our citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis.

The Economy

Dr. Harris explained that they continue to see resilience in the econo-my amidst the prevail-ing downside risk in

the international and regional environment.

“Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the Federation increased by 2.1 percent, which is on par with the growth rate of 2.3 percent as recorded by advanced economies. The out-turn also surpassed the economic output of the currency union which was put at 1.3 percent for the same period.

“The growth in the local economy was underpinned by expan-sions of 11.4 percent in Agriculture, 6 percent in the transport storage and communications sector and 4.7 percent in the construction sector.” He indicated tourism was largely

signifi cant to the growth trends seen in economy.

“The growth trend in the economy contin-ued in 2018 resulting in a positive outturn during the fi rst half of the year. I am advised that the growth we are currently witnessing is attributed largely to the growth in the tour-ism sector which grew by some 8.5 percent in the fi rst half of 2018.

“The manufacturing sector also rebounded during the fi rst six months of 2018 recod-ing an expansion of economic activity of 3.7 percent after de-clining in 2017.”

Social safety nets

Dr. Harris indicated that his government is committed in provid-ing social safety nets for those most vulner-able. “We have deter-mined that there must be greater equity in the distribution of our nation’s wealth and in this regard on Dec. 21 we will implement the support to fami-lies earning less than $3,000 per month. This is an amazing achievement.”

“We saved the surplus to build the buff er un-til the time was right and we could sustain it and could imple-ment one of the most

signifi cant social pro-tection programmes in the history of the country.”

Land for Debt Reclaiming

In a major announce-ment made during the budget session Dr. Harris announced that some of the lands sold under the Land-for-Debt swap under the Dr. Denzil Douglas administra-tion, the government has moved to begin to reclaim some of them

“We did say that the Land-for-Debt Swap was a bad decision by the former govern-ment; we did say that a consequence of it was that the prices of land were being put outside the reach of ordinary people, and we continue to believe that.”

“We will start by re-claiming lands for the people of Sandy Point who were locked out, particularly by the La Valle deal; we will re-claim lands at Cayon for the people of St. Christopher Eight; and of course, we will redeem the land taken from the people in the Lodge/Ottley’s com-munity. Those will be the initial responses, and we will bring back at least, by year end, 500 acres as part of that process.”

Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and Minister of Finance the Hon Dr. Timothy Har-ris


CMYK

Hurricane Relief Fund

W o r k i n g f o r y o u …

T h o u s a n d s o f f a m i l i e s s e r v e d …

RENOVATION OF EARLY

CHILDHOOD CENTERS

EMPLOYMENT

ACROSS FEDERATION

REPAIR OF

HOUSES OF WORSHIPRENOVATION

OF SCHOOLS


Statistics show crime reduced in areas with CCTV

The eff ectiveness of the Closed Circuit Television Surveillance System Project in de-terring crime was high-lighted on Dec. 12 by Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris.

During today’s Budget Debate in the Federal Parliament, Dr. Harris shared: “I am advised Mr. Speaker, that we have had signifi cant reductions in crimes in certain areas. For example, I am advised that in the gun related areas where the cameras have been [installed], we saw a reduction [in serious crimes] from 33 in 2016, to 19 in 2017, representing a 42.4% reduction, and we have had fi ve such incidences recorded in the run up for the period so far,”

the prime minister said, comparing the 2017 to 2018 period.

Phase One of the CCTV project saw the mount-ing of 345 cameras throughout Basseterre and its environs includ-ing Shadwell, Conaree, Frigate Bay and Buckley’s. A Command Centre, which houses 12 network video re-corders, twelve 49-inch televisions, and about six servers, were also part of the initial phase that concluded in June.

“The CCTV acts as a secondary layer of the investigative pro-cess, which can aid in corroborating or dis-proving allegations made, and increase response times for mi-nor incidents thereby preventing the risk

of escalation,” Prime Minister Harris stat-ed. “The programme has also allowed for the redeployment of police manpower to

communities not cur-rently served by this technology.”

The project is sup-ported by the Republic

of China (Taiwan). Phase Two is expect-ed to be rolled out in 2019. Priority areas in this phase include Old Road, Newton Ground,

St. Paul’s, Saddlers, Tabernacle, Molineux, Phillip’s Village and Cayon. A Command Centre will also be es-tablished in Nevis.


payments;

--Gaps in availability of tertiary care;

--Challenges to sustain-ability of health fi nancing due to the expenses relat-ed to the managements of chronic diseases, addic-tion and injuries;

--Challenges with self-responsibility and cost-sharing for one’s health;

--Challenges with maxi-mizing service delivery capacity and quality of the public and private sectors;

--Challenges with trans-forming the health system to an evidence-driven, Information Technology-guided, patient-centred future. “The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis al-ready has several pre-req-uisites in place for action on a viable, sustainable National Health Insurance System (NHIS). These in-clude, but are not limited to:

a) New policy drive for a

‘fresh start’ and ‘universal health care

b) Positive economic growth prospects

c) Contributory employ-er-employee social secu-rity system covering all employees including the self employed

d) Informal Public-private-overseas network of health providers

e) Ongoing initiatives for enhancing availability and quality of care such as the introduction of ter-tiary care services such as oncology and the Health Management Information Systems.

According to the Green paper: “The World Health Organization (WHO) defi nes Universal Health Care as “access to all people to the health services they need (prevention, promotion, treatment, rehabilitation and pal-liative care) without the risk of fi nancial hardship when paying for them.” For this to occur, the

following are required:

a) An effi cient health system that provides the entire population with access to good quality services, health work-ers, medicines and technologies

b) A fi nancing system that protects people from fi nancial hardships and impoverishment from health care costs

“The benefi ts to Universal Health Care:

a) Access to health ser-vices ensures healthier people

b) Financial risk pro-tection prevents people from being pushed into poverty Therefore Universal Health Coverage is a critical component of sustain-able development and poverty reduction and a key element to reducing social inequalities

“Factors that are needed to achieve Universal Health Care:

a) A strong, effi cient, well run health sys-tem that meets prior-ity health needs through people centered inte-grated care by:

b) Aff ordability – a sys-tem for fi nancing health services so people do not suff er fi nancial hardships when using them

c) Availability of es-sential medicines and technologies to diag-nose and treat medical problems d) A suffi cient capacity of well trained, motivated health work-ers to provide the ser-vices to meet patients’ needs based on the best available evidence

e) Actions to address social determinants of health such as educa-tion, living conditions and household income which aff ect people’s

health and their access to services.

According to the Green Paper universal health care is not:

free coverage for all possible health inter-ventions, regardless of the cost, as no country can provide all services

free of charge on a sus-tainable basis

Not just health fi nanc-ing. It encompasses all components of the health system

Not just about ensur-ing a minimum pack-age of health services but also about ensuring

progressive expansion of coverage of health ser-vices and fi nancial pro-tection as more resources become available

Not only about individual treatment services but also provides population wide services

869-662-6778Located on Main Street, in the heart of

Charlestown, obliquely opposite the Nevis

Tourism Centre.

A gallery of contemporary art icluding a

permanent collection of Fabric Art by Deborah Tyrell

The Charlestown Gallery

Townhall consultations end for universal health care CONT’D

Continued from Page 22


Wrecked Nevis yacht could be tied to dead UK man

By Monique Washington

The wrecked yacht that drifted onto the shores of Indian Castle in Gingerland Nevis may belong to a United Kingdom man who died while cruising the Mediterranean.

On Dec 8 a yacht named Katniss drifted on the shore at Indian Castle. According to Customs Enforcement Offi cer Lescott Webbe the yacht was lodged on some rocks in the Indian Castle area.

Webbe said the yacht bore the name ‘Katniss’ and said that while re-gional systems had been contacted, no one has made contact or claimed ownership. Webbe said

that upon inspection of the yacht no one was found on the boat and nothing illegal was on the boat.

The Observer made online inquires and found evidence that the yacht may be tied to a UK man. Earlier this year Rob Mitchell, 64, had been cruising the Mediterranean as a lone

yachtsman when his vessel eventually hit a storm.

His sister Alison Jones wrote in The Guardian of the UK about her missing brother:

“My brother, Rob Mitchell, who has died at sea aged 64, spent most of his working life as an engineer but since

2014 had been cruising the Mediterranean as a lone yachtsman, living his dream.”

“He delighted in dis-covering more about the geography, history, customs and languages of the countries he vis-ited, and as an engineer enjoyed the meticulous route planning and end-less repair and main-tenance that life on a yacht demands,” wrote Jones.

“He was on his way back to the UK when his yacht, Katniss, is believed to have sunk in a storm: his body was found off the coast of Portugal”.

She further stated that if he had completed his fateful journey in the

Mediterranean, the plan was to sell his yacht and settle in Malta.

However, though they share a name, the

Observer cannot yet confi rm that the Katniss wrecked at Indian Castle and that which was owned by Mitchell is the same boat.

Yacht wreck

Rob Mitchell


Prime Minister’s calls out Opposition’s Douglas on ‘lie’.

A statement made dur-ing the budget debate by opposition leader Dr Denzil Douglas about economic data for the federation was a “lie”, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Douglas claimed dur-ing the debate that he had gone to the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) to obtain financial data on St. Kitts and Nevis but was unable to find it.

“I was very shocked myself to observe that much of the most re-cent economic data on St. Kitts and Nevis was also not there,” Douglas said according to the Prime Minister’s Office. “I could not

help, Mr. Speaker, but wonder if our Central Bank had discovered that the information provided to them by the Government was erroneous and pos-sibly falsified, and as a result out of sheer embarrassment and also out of caution – as being subject of fraud and deception – with-drew the information from its own website.”

However, according to the Prime Minister’s office “This lie has been debunked and the truth is now being revealed.”

“According to the ECCB’s records, the Economic and Financial Review for the period, January to June, 2018 was up-loaded to the ECCB

website on 8 October, 2018 and was never re-moved. The ECCB also gave reassurance to the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Honourable

Timothy Harris, that the bank had no reason to remove data from its website and, in fact, never did.”

The Prime Minister’s

office said the docu-ments were easy to find on the ECCB’s website by scrolling through the bank’s main page under publications. The most recent quar-terly Economic and Financial Review dates to June 2018 and includes information for the first half of the year.

The Observer was also able to find the data. According to the report:

“Data for the first half of 2018 indicate that the economy of St Kitts and Nevis expanded, at an ac-celerated rate relative to the performance of the corresponding period of 2017. The increase in economic activity was sustained

by buoyancy in the hotels and restaurants; transport, storage and communications and real estate, renting and business activities sectors.”

The report did warn that there were downside risks, the major one being “the possibility of declining receipts from the Citizenship by Investment pro-gramme after the re-surgence recorded in the first half of 2018”. The report also cited trade uncertainty, fuel prices and uncertainty of foreign investments.

However, the re-port concluded “the Federation is poised for expansive econom-ic growth, based on existing projects and programmes.”

Opposition leader Dr Denzil Douglas


PM addresses aquifer safety concernsThe former Basseterre High School (BHS), located at Victoria Road, Basseterre, sits on the Basseterre Valley Aquifer. The soon to be built state-of-the-art BHS at Pond’s Extension in East Basseterre will also be built on the Basseterre Valley Aquifer. So, what is the controversy?

Some claim that the Basseterre Valley Aquifer will be contaminated by the building of the new BHS on it, while respected experts in the field, includ-ing a group of top experienced water

engineers, who did the feasibility studies, say that the water contamina-tion risk is literally non-existent.

“Based on the advice of experts, I say there is no need for con-cern,” said Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris during the 2019 Budget Address on Dec. 12.

“The irony though is the BHS be-tween East Park Range and Victoria Road sits on the aquifer,” he said.

“Those who purport to defend the aquifer are comfortable with the BHS on the aquifer there, but not another location with all safeguards to treat with effluents off site fur-ther downstream and away from the wells.”

According to the prime minister, the government sought the ad-vice of technical persons, devel-opment advisors and planners to assist in finding an adequate site for the high school and the site at

Pond’s Extension in East Basseterre emerged as the top choice from among several other proposed sites.

Prime Minister Harris said that the scientists and development planners are all satisfied with the location.

“They advised that the probability of aquifer contamination is liter-ally non-existent given all the safe-guards and due processes which we have followed and continue to fol-low,” he said.

Plan to repurchase property obtained in land-for-debt swap arrangements

The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has an-nounced its intention to gradually repurchase portions of the lands sold under the contro-versial Land-for-Debt Swap arrangement initiated by the for-mer Denzil Douglas Administration.

In 2012, former Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas presented and piloted the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla

National Bank Limited (Vesting of Certain Lands) Bill, 2012, in the National Assembly, which provided for the vesting of 1,200 acres of government land to the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank to settle $900 million of debt with the bank. The Bill was passed on September 21, 2012.

“We did say that the Land-for-Debt Swap was a bad decision of

the former govern-ment; we did say that a consequence of it was that the prices of land were being put outside the reach of ordinary people, and we con-tinue to believe that,” Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris said during his Budget Presentation in the National Assembly on Dec. 12.

The Prime Minister said his administration

is aware of the intrica-cies of the arrangement and their implications for the financial books of National Bank and the other institutions involved, “and so we have determined that we will find another sensible way to redeem the land and put back the lands in the hands of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.”

Because of the strong fiscal health of the

country’s resourc-es, the Team Unity Administration has decided to repurchase quantities of lands and make them available to the people of St. Kitts and Nevis. This, according to Prime Minister Harris, allows for careful manage-ment with respect to all entities involved.

“We will start by re-claiming lands for the people of Sandy Point

who were locked out, particularly by the La Valle deal; we will re-claim lands at Cayon for the people of St. Christopher Eight, and of course, we will re-deem the land taken from the people in the Lodge/Ottley’s com-munity. Those will be the initial responses, and we will bring back at least, by year end, 500 acres as part of that process,” Dr. Harris said.

New high school to feature high-technology

The imminent construc-tion of the new state-of-the-art Basseterre High School (BHS) is one of the Government of National Unity’s ma-jor accomplishments, Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris said during his 2019 Budget Address on Dec. 12.

A major achievement by the Government of National Unity was to solve the ongoing prob-lems associated with the BHS at its former com-pound in East Basseterre, which “became a health hazard causing physical and emotional harm to students and teachers at

the school,” the prime minister said.

Dr. Harris mentioned that the government sought the advice of technical persons and development advisors and planners to assist in finding an ade-quate site for a new BHS.

The new state-of-the-art, ultramodern school, will feature additional space for learning and an extra-curricular programme.

The ultramodern high school will be located on about 14 acres of land at Pond’s Extension in East Basseterre. It will provide 32 classrooms, a music centre with two

dedicated music room, at least four science labs and six computer labs, a dedicated lecture room, five dedicated vocational workshops, teachers’ lounge, counselling and health service facilities and an auditorium with seating capacity for a minimum of 1,200 persons, and upgraded sporting facilities to meet international standards. All floors and rooms of the new BHS will be ac-cessible for wheelchair egress via code compli-ant ramps, while the amenities will cater to those who are differ-ently abled.

“The new BHS will

be a model for all to look at and copy, as the standard for qual-ity education delivery in the 21st Century and beyond,” said the

prime minister. “An ultramodern facility, thanks to Team Unity! This is progress. This will bring prosper-ity to the young people

who will now be more securely anchored in Science, Technology, E n g i n e e r i n g , Mathematics, Arts and Sports.”


Conferees review social dialogue to

finalise labour codeEighty-five attendees of public, private sector and employee organi-zations reviewed new labour code compiled by consultant Sir Clare Roberts of Antigua and Barbuda during the Second Annual Conference on Labour with the theme “Social Dialogue Towards a New Labour Code.”

The Second Annual Conference on Labour was hailed a success by the Permanent Secretary of Labour, Ron Dublin-Collins, who participat-ed in the sessions..

The suggestions made during the conference will be included, where possible, into the draft document. The final

draft is expected to go to Cabinet for ap-proval and then to the Parliament for debate in the first quarter of 2019.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) defines social dialogue to include all types of negotiation, consultation or simply exchange of informa-tion between, or among, representatives of gov-ernments, employers and workers, on issues of common interest re-lating to economic and social policy.

The ILO notes that the main goal of so-cial dialogue itself is to promote consensus building and democratic involvement among the

main stakeholders in the world of work.

Dublin-Collins said so-cial dialogue is at the core of the Ministry of Labour’s activities to improve industrial re-lations in St. Kitts and Nevis.

“We at the ministry are committed to the belief that social dia-logue plays a key role in creating decent jobs, and improves perfor-mance for business,” Dublin-Collins ex-plained. “Thus, through enhanced social part-nerships and by raising awareness at all levels of issues such as our labour code, we will undoubtedly realize better organized and a

more efficient labour environment.”

The permanent secre-tary said the main facili-tator of enhanced social dialogue is the National Tripartite Committee., It was established in September 2017. The 12-member commit-tee has government, St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and the St. Kitts and Nevis Trades and Labour Union. The body meets regularly and advises government on em-ployment and labour issues including labour laws and international labour standards.

Sir Clare and the National Tripartite Committee were com-mended for their con-tributions in producing a proposed labour code. During the pro-cess of drafting the proposed labour code, 15 pieces of existing legislation with the associated Statutory Rules and Orders were reviewed. These in-clude the Recruitment of Workers Act, Accident and Occupational Diseases Act, Apprenticeship and Tradespersons Qualification Act, Labour (Minimum Wage) Act, Protection of Employment Act, Trade Unions Act,

Equal Pay Act, and the Government Auxiliary Employees Act. The revision and consoli-dation of these laws will conform to inter-national standards.

“The road to labour re-form is never smooth. For every step forward, we will have challeng-es,” Dublin-Collins said. “We will need to see the bigger picture and not be blindsided by past successes or by differences, past or present, but we shall remain true to our con-viction that genuine and meaningful tripar-tite social dialogue is the best route to social justice. Social dia-logue, therefore, is in-creasingly called upon to anticipate and man-age the changes in the work environment.

The St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CIC), a member of the Tripartite Committee, approved of the efforts to formalise the labour document. “A con-solidation of the labour laws into a single la-bour code will have the added benefit of allow-ing existing employers and potential investors the ability to assess the full cost of doing business,” Executive Director of the CIC, Brenda John said. “It

also empowers work-ers with full knowl-edge of their rights.

“To date, tripartite dia-logue has successfully resulted in consensus amendment of employ-ment legislation in St. Kitts and Nevis,” she said. “If we continue to build on this practice, our nation can contin-ue to demonstrate lead-ership in the Caribbean and therefore preserve its relatively harmoni-ous industrial relations climate.”

Joseph O’Flaherty, President of the SKNTLU said that over the years his or-ganization has pursued the establishment of a labour code and ex-pressed pleasure with the current collabora-tive effort to accom-plish this goal.

“This labour code ex-ercise will make it eas-ier to conduct business in our federation with respect to the world of work. We welcome fresh eyes, minds, voices and opinions of all stakeholders will-ing to participate in this daunting, but im-portant endeavour,” he said, adding that the SKNTLU was look-ing forward to further improvements in the labour environment.

Labour panel (left to right) Labour Commissioner Shernel James; Consultant Sir Clare Roberts; Permanent Secretary - Ministry of Labour Ron Dublin-Collins; CIC Executive

Director Brenda John; and SKNTLU President Joseph O’Flaherty.


CMYK

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Issue #1259 PM MUM ON MONC NEVIS TACKLES · 2 days ago · PM MUM ON MONC NEVIS TACKLES “EMBARRASSING” ROAD STORY ON PAGE 3... STORY ON PAGE 11... Page:2 The St.Kitts Nevis Observer