Dr Douglas says Speaker Perkins is too much involved in party politics and should be removed

The Speaker of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly, Hon. Michael Perkins, has been accused of colluding with Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris in adjourning Wednesday's sitting of the National Assembly in anticipation that when the lawmaking body convenes mid-afternoon, Justice Trevor Ward would have ruled that Leader of the Opposition, the Right Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas could not continue to sit in representing St. Christopher 6.

During a press conference last Friday, Dr. Douglas called for the removal of Speaker Perkins claiming that he "has become too much involved in party politics and was incapable of being impartial and to be just and fair in determining how matters are conducted in the parliament of St. Kitts and Nevis."

"The Parliament of our land was convened on Wednesday, not to conduct the legislative business of the people. No law was debated or passed. Parliament was called for the sole purpose of creating a political platform on which members of the government could parade as they were anticipating a victory at the Court that same day. The Speaker, knowingly, broke one of the cardinal rules of Parliament when he, sitting in the chair, delved into this diplomatic passport matter that was under the active consideration of the courts of our land, and in relation to which a judgment was to be delivered on that very afternoon," said Dr. Douglas at a press conference.

"Where is the limit? Where has their basic decency gone? Have they no shame whatsoever?" asked Dr. Douglas, a sixth term parliamentarian and former prime minister who served in that capacity for 20 years.

High Court Judge, His Lordship Trevor War QC dismissed a claim by prime minister Harris' government challenging his eligibility to retain his seat in the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly having obtained and used a diplomatic passport of the Commonwealth of Dominica.

Upon relinquishing the Office of Prime Minister following the mid-February 2015 general election, Dr Harris has refused to issue a St. Kitts and Nevis Diplomatic passport to Dr Douglas in his new capacity as Leader of the Opposition.

Responding to a question from the media on Friday, Dr Douglas noted that since Speaker Perkins assumed office, the parliamentary opposition has always raised concern about his own credibility as a speaker who is supposed to at all times show fairness and impartially.

"We have made our statements publicly, we have written about it, we have taken our complaints to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, we have spoken with the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, we have spoken loudly and clearly about this matter but Speaker Perkins continues to blatantly display partially in the conduct of the affairs of the National Assembly," said Dr Douglas.

Dr Douglas further pointed to the double standard of Speaker Perkins, who when convenient rule that matters which are before the court are subjudice and cannot be mentioned in the National Assembly but this was blatantly breached by the Speaker himself on Wednesday.

"The Speaker really believed, because it seems as though the government had been terribly mislead that they would win the case. Imagine the Speaker adjourning the Parliament not so much for the opposition sake, but for the Attorney General and ministers of government to go over to the court house, listen to the delivery of the judgment that they were certain Dr Douglas was going to lose.

I was away returning home from England and I was being told there were that were papers that were being prepared and if necessary physical force was being assembled to prevent me from entering the Parliament that same afternoon if the case had come against me during the judgment," said Dr Douglas.

"This is a speaker who is completely caught up in the politics – the party politics that are before us today. And we again use this opportunity to call for the removal of Michael Perkins as the Speaker of the parliament. We have lost confidence in him and by his conduct displayed on Wednesday gave good reason to further lose more confidence we have lost more confidence in him and strengthen our call for his complete removal as the person presiding over the affairs of our parliament," Dr Douglas said.

He recalled the filing of a Motion of No Confidence in Speaker Perkins who refused to bring it to the National Assembly for debate two years ago.

"He proceeded to go through every item of concern that we had documented in the motion indicating that he was answering all of the accusations levelled against him, yet he had ruled he was not going to allow it to be debated raised in the motion.

If fact, what was alarming is that he proceeded to become judge and jury on the matter that he was on trial for and this (Wednesday's sitting) again is a further strengthening of our all for him to be removed as the Speaker of the Assembly. We have no confidence whatsoever in his ability to be impartial and to be just and fair in determining how matters are conducted in the parliament of St. Kitts and Nevis."