St Kitts-Nevis opposition ‘to raise Speaker complaints’ at CPA meeting

An opposition senator in St Kitts and Nevis has vowed to discuss his complaints against National Assembly Speaker Michael Perkins at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) meeting next month.

The federation is hosting the CPA meeting for the Atlantic and Caribbean between 16 and 23 June.

And St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) Senator Nigel Carty is going to use the opportunity to share discontent about Perkins, who has previously described as “a rogue Speaker” who is “stifling democracy”.

“We believe he is more of a political activist rather than an impartial judge,” Carty told WINN FM.

“We would want to raise the issue of his conduct in the parliament.

“We would want to raise the issue that the opposition – after cataloguing a series of offences of poor judgement, of partiality – having placed a motion of no confidence against the Speaker, and he sat in the [Speaker’s] Chair at a sitting of the National Assembly and determined that there was no case against him and he was going to dismiss the motion.”

The senator’s announcement comes after the CPA President and Chairman of the CPA Executive Committee Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury emphasised the role of the opposition of in holding governments accountable.

Chowdhury – who is Speaker of the Parliament of Bangladesh – was speaking at the CPA Roadshow for Young Peopl, where she also stressed the need for enriching the youth with the knowledge of democracy and the parliamentary system of government.

Opposition takes aim at Speaker

Carty, a former minister of education, information and agriculture, isn’t the only SKNLP politician to take issue with Perkins this week.

Maynard said he was “simply seeking clarity if the Speaker is not going to allow a point of order” and that he “is seemingly totally aligned to the government”.

The government’s information service said the MP was kicked out for “gross disrespectful behaviour”.

Row over CPA

The upcoming conference in St Kitts has already caused issues across parties in St Kitts and Nevis.

The SKNLP have been critical of Prime Minister Timothy Harris late decisions on appointing the Public Account Committee.

The Speaker denied any wrongdoing with the timing of forming a Public Accounts Committee, stating that “the executive intends to bring new legislation, which would deal with all the regulations on how the committee should function.”

And a lack of opposition parliamentarians on the organisation committee for June’s CPA meeting has irked Carty, who believes Perkins refused to include them.

“This is a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association meeting not a St. Kitts and Nevis government meeting,” he said.