ST KITTS LATEST NEWS, INFO AND UPDATES

Collin Merchant 19, stabbed to death July 7, 2013   More Sharing ServicesShare|Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on print |  Police have taken a young man into custody for questioning in relation to the stabbing death of 19-year-old Collin Merchant. On Sunday (July 7) at about 2:45am, officers of the Frigate Bay Police Station, Crime Scene Unit, Violent Crime Unit, and other police officers responded to a report of a stabbing incident on the Frigate Bay Strip. Police found Merchant dead at Vibes Beach Bar; he had been stabbed in the chest. Since then police have been actively searching for the individual believed to have been in an altercation with and stabbed the young Monkey Hill resident. Merchant was reportedly at the Strip with friends following a high school graduation ceremony he attended for a cousin. After a band playing at the bar next to Vibes ended its session prematurely due to a number of fights, the mostly youthful crowd filed over to the adjoining bar.   The Observer understands that the suspect, a Newtown man, may have been arrested on or before Wednesday. Complete story available in your Fridays Observer. Political Tensions Escalate St. Kitts Could Be Facing Civil Unrest By LK Hewlett Heavily armed members of the security forces outside government headquarters More Sharing ServicesShare|Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on print |    Last Friday's clash between protesters and police which led to former PAM Leader Lindsay Grant being hauled away by police was indication of escalating political tensions on the island. Political pundits and other citizens have publicly opined that police with "big guns" was excessive at last week's protest march organized by opposition party PAM. They claim that more confrontations between police and civilians could lead to a state of civil unrest in St. Kitts. The July 5th march to protest the Dr. Denzil Douglas-led government's legitimacy ended without violence but saw civilians ready to take on riot-gear clad police officers. A confrontation on Church Street caught on video showed a police officer pulling Grant from behind the police barricades and engaging in a scuffle as more officers attempted to drag the politician to a police bus parked nearby. This act appeared to incense the already agitated protesters who began to rattle the metal barriers. Officers quickly lashed at the protesters who backed off and jeered at the officers. Grant was taken to the Basseterre Police Station and the protesters followed, picketing in the street outside the station shouting "We want Grant!" The crowd was pushed back by scores of heavily armed policemen, which did little to oust their anger. The protesters remained outside the station until Grant was released later that night. Police informed that the former PAM Leader had been charged with "obstruction" and released on bail. Police and civilians squared off again Monday when a number of persons carrying placards gathered in front government Headquarters to greet the 7 Opposition parliamentarians after they walked out of the National Assembly while it was still in session. As the number of Unity supporters grew, persons clad in red came out of the Government Headquarters and began jeering at the MPs and their supporters. Armed police officers quickly arrived on the scene and forced the Unity supporters back along Princes Street. The crowd began to argue with police that the "Labour supporters" were allowed to gather on the steps of Government Headquarters where some shouted "Good riddance to bad rubbish" and "Full confidence" but the officers were barring only them from Church Street. Soon a small crowd of SKNLP supports gather at the junction of Central and Church Street where police had hastily placed metal barriers. PAM Leader Hon. Shawn Richards again accused the government of using the security forces to intimidate the people. "There seems to be a very concerted, organized, vociferous and consistent attempt by the government to use the security forces of this country to intimidate and suppress the free expression of opposition supporters and anti-government groups," he said. Police Commissioner CG Walwyn earlier this week warned that "violent rhetoric" uttered by "some persons who are either seeking public office, or who are supporting those seeking public office" must not be supported. He said it is "very evident that there are persons whose sole intent is to create chaos". "The police will enforce the law. The police will continue to maintain peace and security at all times. No unlawful behavior will be tolerated…The police will not become involved in the political affray of the Federation…The public is hereby asked to abide by the law. Persons failing to do so will be dealt with according to the full extent of the law," he stated. Oposition MPs Meet With NGO Coalition By LK Hewlett Story Updated: July 11, 2013 at 3:58 pm. Dr. Harris, one of the opposition MPs present at the NGO meeting More Sharing ServicesShare|Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on print | Several opposition members of parliament today met with representatives from the NGO Coalition to discuss the latest developments surrounding the Motion of No Confidence filed against the government. The Observer understands the meeting took place at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce’s office Thursday afternoon (July 11) and at least four of the six opposition MPs were present. The main topic, it was revealed, was the lingering Motion of No Confidence matter which has once again “been exacerbated by the Denzil Douglas-led government”, MP Dr. Hon. Timothy Harris said. The NGO Coalition- the St. Kitts-Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the St. Kitts Christian Council and the St. Kitts Evangelical Association said on Monday that they viewed “with great concern” that a sitting of the National Assembly had been scheduled without the motion of no confidence on the agenda. “Further delay in tabling the motion is unacceptable in a democratic society,” they stated. At 9 this morning Speaker of the House Hon. Curtis Martin and Attorney General Hon. Jason Hamilton went to court to have the Opposition’s application for discontinuance of the matter involving the MoNC set aside. On Monday (July 8) the Speaker of the House indicated that despite the Opposition filing a notice of discontinuance on July 5 he had instructed his lawyers to attend this morning’s session to “seek the court’s indulgence to hear argument and rule on these serious legal issues”. The lawyers for the Speaker and Attorney General have filed papers for the matter to be continued, which according to Hon. Martin, makes the motion of no confidence remain sub judice. He indicated until the court had ruled on the matter pertaining to the motion filed in December 2012, he would also not entertain the second motion filed last week. “In all of the circumstances therefore, I will continue to hold in abeyance any decision on the matters before the National Assembly relating to the motions,” he said.

PLP: Speaker Martin Statement Dishonest And Hypocritical By LK Hewlett Story Updated: July 12, 2013 at 1:52 pm. Hon Dr. Timothy Harris and Speaker Hon Curtis Martin More Sharing ServicesShare|Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on print | Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Curtis Martin claims the court cannot tell him what to do in the House yet he wants it rule on the Motion of No Confidence case. The People’s Labour Party, led by Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris, has branded Speaker Martin’s contradictory statements as “hypocritical and dishonest”. The Speaker said on Monday (July 8) that he could not hear any discussions on the motion because he had instructed his lawyers “to seek the court’s indulgence to hear argument and rule on these serious legal issues” on Thursday. He however prefaced this by saying the High Court has no jurisdiction to hear any matter concerning the exercise of the Speaker’s discretion or decisions on matters concerning the management of the internal procedures and proceedings of the National Assembly. “The High Court cannot issue or make any order directing me, as Speaker, and/ or for that matter, the National Assembly, on how to apply the Rules and Standing Orders;  or how to conduct the business and proceedings of the National Assembly. “In other words, my case before the High Court is that the Court has no jurisdiction to compel me on any matter concerning my powers as Speaker or on the scheduling of any motion before this National Assembly,” he declared. The PLP issued a statement the following day “condemning” the Hon. Speaker for his “continuing delay in tabling the Motion of No Confidence to be debated”. “The Speaker in collusion with the illegitimate government of Dr. Denzil Douglas continues along the wrong path by denying the Elected Majority in National Assembly their right to be heard on two Motions of No Confidence which have been filed in the National Assembly.” The communique went on to say the statement by the Speaker “rationalizing” the non-tabling and debate of the Motion of No Confidence submitted since December 11, 2012 “is both highly hypocritical and dishonest”. “First, the Speaker argues that the Court should not dictate to the House when it should bring the Motion of No Confidence, yet he wants the same Court to prosecute a matter that it he says it has no jurisdiction over, even after it has been discontinued in the court. This is Legislative Schizophrenia of the highest order!” it read.  The PLP called on all the “persons of goodwill” in civil society to let their voices be heard in protest as they resist  “this illegitimate government”.

Will Parliament be prorogued after passing Boundary Changes Bill?

By: Staff Reporter, SKNVibes.com C NEWS SPONSORED BY: Christ Festival ( Tel: ) BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WEDNESDAY, the 17th day of July 2013, can be ‘Judgment Day’ for the citizens and residents of St. Kitts and Nevis. Judgment Day, because from all indications it is logical to conclude that the Electoral Boundaries Bill will be tabled in Parliament. Also, Judgment Day, because the Prime Minister can request the Governor-General to prorogue Parliament, if he so desires, after the passing of that Bill. And what will the Opposition do in Parliament come Wednesday? Will they stage another walk-out as they did at the previous Sitting? I am certain they will, because both the People’s Action Movement and the People’s Labour Party had made it clear that they would oppose any attempt to change the boundaries at this time, and that no other matter should go before the Parliament other than the Motion of No Confidence. They did that at the last Sitting and, what happened? Prime Minister Douglas and other Members on the Government Benches passed six Bills. To me, it seems as though Dr. Douglas, one of the best political strategists in the Caribbean, had tested the waters on Monday the 8th of July to see what the Opposition’s reaction would be and they were suckered into it. He was successful in his quest and will also be successful in the passing of the Electoral Boundaries Bill. Should this happen, what will the Opposition do? Will the Members take the matter to court? If so, on what grounds? I am no expert on the Constitution, but (Review of constituency boundaries) Section 50 (7) states: “The question of the validity of any proclamation by the Governor-General purporting to be made under subsection (6) and reciting that a draft thereof has been approved by resolution of the National Assembly shall not be enquired into in any court of law except upon the ground that the proclamation does not give effect to rule 1 in schedule 2.” In my limited capacity, I understand it to mean that the matter could only be taken to court if the changes made were not in keeping with the equitable distribution of the population. However, as earlier mentioned, I am not an expert on the Constitution and it would be greatly appreciated if one of those qualified individuals in the Federation could explain what it means in layman’s terms for us, the ordinary folks, to comprehend. But, why is there so much controversy over the boundary changes?  Is my beloved Prime Minister scared of calling elections without changing the electoral boundaries? It is the perception of many people, including Dr. Douglas, that PAM had changed the boundaries in 1983 to remain in office. But, certainly there has been a very significant change since 1995 which was reflected in the constituents’ choice of which political party should take them into future. With the current boundaries, the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party had won seven seats in the 1995 elections, all eight in 2000, seven in 2004 and six in 2010. So, what is the problem with the boundaries in 2013? Is it because Sam Condor and Timothy Harris are no longer with the Party and confidence has been replaced by the spirit of fear? No, I don’t think so! There should be no fear because Dr. Douglas and his Ministers have been telling us that the Labour Party has “Full Confidence” and we should have full confidence in the ruling party. So much for boundaries; let me briefly share my views on some of the other issues and situations that permeate the land of my birth. I was appalled by the firing of Timothy Harris and equally so by Sam Condor’s resignation. But, they had they both have their reasons for the stance they took in Parliament regarding the Senators Bill and their support of the No Confidence Motion. Today, we see that they have crossed the floor. Each man to his own order I would say. But why the mud-slinging and character assassination? Why call them hogs? And more importantly, why call on them to resign as elected Members of Parliament when you are filled with confidence in your success at the upcoming elections? Yes, it may be said that they were in Parliament on a Labour ticket; but on Nomination Day, all those who are contesting an election pay their EC$150.00 as candidates contesting in a particular constituency and not for a party. Additionally, there are many constituents who do not vote for parties but for the candidate they believe would better represent them in and out of Parliament. I am one such person! This particular issue is repeatedly mentioned on the Labour Party’s political platform. Doctors Douglas and Asim Martin as well as Marcella Liburd always call upon the two former government insiders to resign. The latest call was made last Friday, and Marcella used the Antigua/Barbuda and Trinidad/Tobago issues of Colin Derrick and Anthony Stuart as well as Jack Warner respectively, as a yardstick for their retirement, stating that they came under a Labour ticket and bi-elections should be held to replace them in Parliament. However, why does she not use the No Confidence Motion of those two countries as a yardstick for the one not being tabled in St. Kitts and Nevis? This matter goes on as ad nauseam and all of their outpourings are banal repetitions of the same offering. On too many occasions we have seen principles being sacrificed at the altar of political expediency. Another issue is the alleged shooting at the house of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Curtis Martin. As far as I am concerned and from what I read and heard in the media, something is amiss. To date, the police have not said anything about it, and that should strike everyone as being out of character; for the police are known to issue press releases for almost any and everything, even though they may be limited in details. The Speaker of the House in any country is a VIP! Isn’t the Honourable Curtis Martin classified as such? But, then again, if the shots were fired at his house, why weren’t there tell-tale signs on the building? Even if it were suggested by the main law enforcement body to downplay the incident because of the volatile situation that current exists, why was it spoken of at last Friday’s Labour rally by Dr. Douglas?  For this particular issue, there are more questions than answers, and two questions are: (1) Who was the target of those shots? (2) If it were the Speaker of the House, were those shots fired as a warning for the stance he took at the last Sitting? Now for the law enforcement agency, as Commissioner Walwyn like it to be called. Leaked emails, purportedly written by the Commissioner, labelled those who participated in that Wednesday’s march and rally “insurgents”. The first email also spoke to number of other things, including not granting permit to the organisers and the readiness of the police and their “less lethal”. It also spoke to the Commissioner allegedly colluding with politicians to subvert the June 26th march and rally; while the second one claimed that he called some of his Senior Officers “backstabbers”. If what the leaked emails contain were factual, then it would be invidious of the Commissioner of Police to interfere in political issues where decisions have to be made by politicians. A position in which he stated he would never find himself because he is apolitical. Now back to the boundaries issue. We are just days away from the next Sitting of Parliament and, as I mentioned before, from all indications it is logical to conclude that the Electoral Boundaries Bill will be tabled and Members on the Opposition Benches will again stage a walk-out. But the big question is: After its passing, will the Prime Minister request the Governor-General to prorogue Parliament? It is said that true patriots ultimately do not mind who rules their country, once the rule is in the interest of the nation.

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - INFORMATION reaching SKNVibes states that a man is currently undergoing emergency surgery at the Joseph N. France Hospital after he was allegedly stabbed by his child's mother. The incident is said to have occurred shortly before 10:00 tonight (Jul. 14) in Middle Island.  According to reliable sources, the man had lost "a lot of blood" as a result of the wound. A call was made to the Police Public Relations Officer, Inspector Lyndon David, who indicated that he was unaware of the incident. The names of the stabbing victim and the alleged perpetrator is yet unknown to this media house, but more on this incident as soon as information becomes available.