Last Updated on November 1, 2019, 2:32 PM AST by Anthony Morris
Economic growth in St Kitts and Nevis tumbled to less than one percent in 2017, highlighting the continued deception of Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr the Hon Timothy Harris, when it comes to the true state of the economy of the twin-island federation.
According to the Washington-based International Monetary (IMF), the economy of St Kitts and Nevis grew by 0.9 percent in 2017, despite glowing statements and headlines from the Prime Minister at press conferences, the Office of the Prime Minister and the St Kitts and Nevis Information Service (SKNIS) that “something good is happening in St Kitts and Nevis.”
In 2013 and 2014, the St Kitts and Nevis economy registered over five percent in both years under the Labour Administration of then Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Rt Hon Dr Denzil L Douglas.
At Town Hall meeting in March this year, Dr Harris failed to tell nationals in Toronto, Canada that since he took over the reigns of government in mid-February 2015, the economy of St Kitts and Nevis has decelerated or slowed.
“The growth been positive is an important direction. Positive means we are adding. Negative means we are falling back. So it means each year we have add value to the economic life of the country in 2015, 2016, in 2017 and in 2018 and they are predicting in 2019, we will grow again,” he said. With no response, he asked the audience to give him a round of applause.
Prime Minister Harris steered clear of quoting the GDP figures to the nationals in Canada and did not tell them that in 2013, the growth rate was 5.5 percent and 6.1 percent in 2014, the last two years of the Labour Government.
In October, 2016, SKNIS reported that the “economy of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis continues to see positive strides” and that “for 2016, we expect to have a growth rate of around 3 percent and that would grow a little further in 2017 to about 3.8 percent and then in 2018, we expect to see a growth rate of 3.9 percent.”
In January 2017, SKNIS reported Dr Harris as saying “the economy remains in good hands ” and in February 2018 said: “for the year 2017, we are recording an economic growth of about 2.6 percent” and described the growth as “good news for a very small country towering against the structural and systematic constraints of small size and limited resources.”
In another quote, SKNIS reported: “Prime Minister Harris reflected on a recent country report released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which shows St Kitts and Nevis leading the region in 2017 with a projected growth rate of 3.5 percent.”
While the growth rate for St Kitts and Nevis was 0.9 percent in 2017, it was 1.4 percent for Belize, 4.4 percent for Grenada, 3.1 percent for Antigua and Barbuda, 2.6 percent for St Lucia and 0.7 percent for St Vincent and the Grenadines in 2017.
In September last year, Dr Harris blocked the IMF from publishing the 2018 Article IV Consultation on the St Kitts and Nevis economy and last September barred the IMF Mission from undertaking a similar exercise on the economy for 2019.
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.
