“When a man points finger at someone else, he has three fingers pointing right back at himself”

Former civil servant and political analyst Nigel Faron writes a special article on current political scenario in St Kitts and Nevis. The comprehensive article elaborates the allegations and consequences of political ups and downs.

“As is often the case in small nations like St Kitts and Nevis, the actions of Leaders of the Opposition are notoriously subject to inordinate levels of scrutiny and criticism by incumbent governments. In one example of such disparity, Dr Denzil Douglas was recently put under the microscope by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, Mark Brantley, during the Budget Debate of 13 December 2019. Minister Brantley chastised Dr Douglas for allegedly being detained at Gatwick Airport by the UK Border Force after being found in possession of an undeclared £70,000 – in sterling, US dollars and EC dollars.

The alleged incident was reported by UK newspaper outlet, Mail Online, though it should be noted that Dr Douglas contests that he was either detained or arrested, and is currently under no investigation.

Although his failure to declare the cash sum was of course misguided, the question remains as to why Dr Douglas is facing such condemnation at the hands of the current Government. It is especially puzzling given that the money was obtained legitimately from local donors, and was to be utilised by Douglas to cover the cost of printing t-shirts and banners for use in the upcoming election campaign. Indeed, political party and campaign financing is an entirely legal, and common, practice in St Kitts and Nevis. Further, there is no indication that Douglas had used, or intended to use, the campaign money for his own gain. In fact, Dr Douglas was notably flying in standard economy class when the incident occurred; decree of a person who has been a prime minister for more than 20 years is living a simple lifestyle.

In his denunciation of Dr Douglas, it appears that Minister Brantley is conveniently overlooking the numerous security breaches purportedly committed by a member of his own political party, Minister of Public Infrastructure, Post, Urban Development, and Transport, Ian Liburd, who allegedly refused to comply with routine screening procedures at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport in early 2019 and again in October 2019. CLICK HERE TO READ FULL STATEMENT BY HON MARK BRANTLEY

Why is it that Dr Douglas being in possession of legitimately-obtained, albeit foolishly-undeclared, campaign funding is lauded as “a serious matter” and an “embarrassment”, while disregard for airport protocol when exhibited by current Cabinet Ministers with immunity to carry, a luxury not afforded to the Leader of the Opposition, is dismissed as mere “rumour mongering”? Perhaps it is time for the current Government to stop hiding behind the smokescreen it has crafted and reveal exactly what Minister Liburd was carrying that necessitated his alleged evasions of airport security.

CLICK HERE: MINISTER IAN LIBURD INCIDENT AT SKN AIRPORT APRIL 2019 CLICK HERE: MINISTER IAN LIBURD INCIDENT AT SKN AIRPORT OCTOBER 2019

It is time that the Government stops undermining its own credibility by holding the opposition to a higher standard than it holds itself. As the saying goes, when a man points his finger at someone else, he has three fingers pointing right back at himself.