Mark Brantley rising star in Caribbean politics

The 49-year-old Caribbean politician Mark Brantley is one of the rising stars of Caribbean politics. He is serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis – a dedicated politician whose achievements span from the establishment of robust diplomatic ties with foreign nations to the betterment of Nevis, the island he has led as Premier since October 2017.

One need only peruse his Twitter account, teeming with pictures of intergovernmental meetings and summits, to gauge his many international successes.

On 28 September 2018 alone for example, Minister Brantley signed a mutual visa waiver agreement with his Gambian counterpart, penned a joint communiqué establishing formal diplomatic relations with São Tomé and Principe – from which he also secured the promise of a future visa waiver agreement, and held bilateral discussions with Estonia’s President.

Back in February 2018, Minister Brantley tweeted: “In less than 3 years #StKitts #Nevis has entered formal #diplomatic relations with an additional 22 countries and negotiated visa free access to an additional 12 countries #DiplomacyMatters.”

Diplomacy does indeed matter to the Foreign Minister, who is quoted as saying “In this globalised interconnected world, I firmly believe that it is incumbent on us as Government, to create an enabling environment where business can thrive, where families can travel for leisure with relative ease, and where we strengthen those platforms that facilitate people-to-people exchanges and greater mobility of ideas, people, and services.”

Minister Brantley is also an assiduous supporter of cooperation among the Caribbean nation-states, regional interaction, and the finding of common solutions.

On 27 September 2018 he was among a number of CARICOM foreign ministers who came together to discuss key topics of concern with the United States Deputy of State H.E. John Sullivan. Minister Brantley focused on CARICOM health, including the costs, both personal and economic, of non-communicable diseases. He also took the opportunity to call for reconsideration of the criteria by which small island developing states can attain development assistance. At the 25 September 2018 6th CARICOM-Japan meeting, he urged support for regional policies on climate change risk reduction.

As Premier of Nevis, Minister Brantley has made notable improvements to the lives of his fellow Nevisians, demonstrating determination and commitment to his position and the people he represents.

In the past year, Nevis’ property market has boomed. Demand has been strong, indicating consumer confidence in the economy. Increased sales have also generated greater government revenue from Stamp Duty. In just the first nine months of 2018, developers reported their highest sales ever, and there was a 23 percent increase in revenue from Stamp Duty.

Minister Brantley has also taken steps to develop the financial services sector. He plans to expand the sector by 50 percent over the next five years, and has already commissioned an independent expert to advise on policy.

He is keen to embrace new technology and services in the sector, and has started investigations into how new products such as cryptocurrencies can be introduced into Nevis’ financial sector. Time and time again, Minister Brantley has also been a staunch defender of Nevis’ status as an International Financial Centre, emphasising St Kitts and Nevis’ rating of “Largely Compliant” by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Nevis’ commitment to transparency, disclosure requirements, and information exchange.

Other areas of significant improvement include energy and water. In the former, Minister Brantley’s Nevis Island Administration is working closely with Nevis Renewable Energy International to harness the island’s geothermal energy and eliminate reliance on oil, and, by extension, sensitivity to oil prices. In the latter, the final phase of the CDB Nevis Water Supply Enhancement Project is almost complete. This is the EC$20 million water supply project that will provide Nevis with a sustainable, efficient, and reliable supply of potable water by developing the legislative and institutional management of water, enhancing the supply network, and augmenting building capacity. Examples of completed work include six new reservoirs or storage tanks, two new pump stations, and 68,125 feet of new pipelines.

St Kitts and Nevis is swiftly establishing itself as one of the most prominent, and successful, states in the Caribbean. This is largely due to its people’s devotion to the Federation – something that is reflected in their choice of representatives, and exemplified by Minister Brantley.