Last Updated on October 20, 2021, 2:36 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Basseterre: St Kitts and Nevis Labour Party on Tuesday lambasted Deputy Prime Minister Shawn Richards and asked questions on behalf of the people.
The questionnaire listed by SKNLP is below:
“1. Minister, is it correct that you recently personally donated something to the Urban Development Corporation Co. Ltd, the totally owned Government company for which you have ministerial responsibility? What was the donation and why did you make it?
2. Was $100,000 budgeted by the same UDC for your VIP box at the recently held CPL?
3. Do you own a business with Halstead Isles? If so, what is the name of the business and what does it do?
4. Did that business recently obtain a piece of land, around 6 acres, at Dewars Estate area? What were the terms of sale of the land?
5. Is there a need for the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) to buy a vehicle to service the needs of UDC, and to buy another vehicle for the CEO?
6. Why does SKELEC rent trucks and or other vehicles when they have their own? And if so, who owns those trucks that SKELEC rents?
7. Is it a prudent decision for the proposed solar plant to be owned by the Swiss company and not by locals, especially given that we are talking about a source of renewable energy and an opportunity to empower the people of this country through ownership?
8. Is it prudent to locate a battery system, carrying very toxic lithium ions, on the Basseterre Valley Aquifer? Likewise, the Basseterre High School?
9. Can you tell the country if the original Basseterre High School site has been condemned for human use and if so, isn’t this a major public health hazard for all general use, and should be so condemned by an Act of Parliament, with urgent measures undertaken by Government to relocate the various homes, businesses and institutions in the area?
10. You say that you are next in line to be Prime Minister if Unity were to win the next election while people are saying that Dr. Harris should threepeat.. which will it be?
11. It is no secret that there is friction within the coalition and that Dr. Harris is setting up PLP units in all constituencies, with the intent to contesting in more constituencies than he did last time, maybe even in all? Would that ambition to expand the PLP footprint not mark the end of the coalition?
12. Why have the Integrity in Public Life Act and the Freedom of Information Act not been fully activated? They were at the cornerstone of your coalition’s good governance agenda as proposed on the 2015 election.
13. Also, your Administration promised, about a year ago, to amend the Contracts (Administration and Procurements) Act so that the process of granting and processing Government contracts would be more transparent. Your Administration received the benefit of a comprehensive report from the Organization of American States, filled with recommendations to better the practices, yet nothing has been done. Is this not a troubling matter for you?”
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
