Harris-led Team Unity slammed for using Independence Square - a former slave market

With carnival and Christmas celebrations over, Kittitians and Nevisians are expressing their views on several burning social and political issues.

Nationals have been weighing in on the decision of Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris to use Independence Square where African slaves were auctioned off, to distribute public assistance to the growing number of people experiencing poverty under his Team Unity Government.

Dr. Harris, known for using the simplest issue to extract party political mileage distributed the EC$500 checks in the glare of national radio and television on Christmas Eve. A similar ceremony chaired by Premier of Nevis, Mark Brantley was held in the Square in Charlestown. Households qualified if their income is EC$3,000 or less.

"It was indeed shameful and despicable to see our proud people corralled into the former slave market and listen to their names called and walk up to Harris, his ministers and party goons to get a check. It was indeed indecent," said Darrell.

"This was an exercise that I thought was ill-advised in terms of the timing and place. These people are already the poorest in the country, and to have them in the Square, remember the history of the Square. To have them in the Square to brandish their poverty and to take photo ops with a cheque in their hand is for me, more than a little bit insensitive and disrespectful and perhaps self-serving. I would have thought that a more private and tasteful process would have been undertaken," said former government minister Dwyer Astaphan on his weekly radio programme on Tuesday night.

Former Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) lecturer, Ira McMahon expressed dismay over the venue for the distribution.

"It shows exactly how ideological shallow and out of tune our current crop of leaders are," said McMahon, who expressed disappointment of the choice words of government senator and SCASPA's manager for technology, Akilah Nisbett.

"As a young educated and aspiring politician, it was really disappointing," said McMahon, who pointed out that he was born and grew up at St. Johnston Village in West Basseterre which help to shape his world view.

"West Basseterre has a legacy that is unmatched anywhere else in St. Kitts. It has a history of struggle and resistance. Remember the Buckley's Uprising which has a history of decent, honest, principled and ideologically-grounded good representation from people who were prepared to make sacrifices for the good of their community. People like Joseph N. (France), (Sam) Condor and (Konris) Maynard," said McMahon.

He said the people of West Basseterre are not going to settle for "no wishy-washy representation. They are too proud for that. They are too proud to settle for a representative who, whether by accident or design, cynically misrepresents the significance of parading the poor to receive dependency cheques in our Independence Square, which was once a slave market."

"The Senator (Nisbett) can use whatever euphemisms she wants. It was a handout and it is something that they are going to depend on and to do that in Independence Square just seems ironic," said McMahon.

He labelled "the calling out of names one by one as reminiscent of Donald Trump throwing paper towels at the victims of a hurricane in Puerto Rico. It was distasteful, meaning and humiliating."

Staunch PAM/Team Unity supporter Wingrove "Mother Bess" Herbert said he agreed with the sentiments expressed on the issue by former prime minister the Right Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas in the National Assembly.

"I don't always agree with Dr. Douglas in Parliament, but I was listening to get a response from the (Team Unity) Government as to why they would have taken steps to go into Independence or Pall Mall Square to make that contribution to our people. That is a very sensitive area. It is the market place for our ancestors who were brought here as slaves. The slave ships came into the port and then the slaves were transported to the Square where the massas (plantation owners) from all the sugar estates came and bought their slaves," said Herbert.

"Before Dr. Douglas made that observation in parliament, I said, I personally said, it was wrong to bring back the memory (humiliation and pain) of our ancestors who were brought here, not voluntarily but by force," he said.

"Unity made all those getting their $500 to come on out down town so they can be made a political spectacle so everybody can see all who getting. Nothing is ever free so too political gimmicks for votes," said Everton "Obi" Elliott on his FaceBook page.