PM Harris accused of nepotism and judicial interference

The exuberance of youth is powerful thing. While it can lead to the taking of some rash decisions and unnecessary risks, when tempered correctly, it can be a very powerful thing indeed.

Nevis’s Zidan Wilkin proved this at the 47th Leeward Islands Debating Competition in Antigua last weekend where he made a highly compelling argument on the damaging impact of nepotism on faith in the judicial system.

In his passionate speech, Wilkin argued that “the lack of trust in our own people is the main reason why the majority of CARICOM states are yet to adopt the Caribbean Court of Justice as the final court of appeal.” Referring to the close ties between politicians and the judiciary, he said that it should come as no surprise that Caribbean people have developed such a palpable distrust of the Caribbean Court of Justice.

“In St Kitts, the Prime Minister is Dr Timothy Harris. The Registrar of the High Court is his sister, Ms Janine Harris. The Magistrate is another sister, Ms Donna Harris and the Chief Prison Officer is his brother, Mr Denzil Harris. Everywhere you turn is Harris again and all of these appointments took effect since Dr Timothy Harris became prime minister in 2015.”

The repetition of ‘Harris’ prompted some ripples of laughter amongst the packed crowd in attendance and no doubt did so amongst the many viewers watching on TV as well. The reason is quite simple. It is hard to imagine one family being so openly entrenched into the important institutions of the country quite like it is the case in St. Kitts and Nevis and for those not familiar with St. Kitts and Nevis’s complex politics, it may even seem farcical. But as amusing as Wilkin’s delivery was, the questions he raised are even more important. The optics of one family holding so many significant offices is not ideal and naturally, suspicions of undue influence being exercised will always be present.

Mr Wilkin is not alone in suggesting this. Wilkin used the opportunity to buttress his presentation by referring to a statement by Chief Justice of the OECS Supreme Court Dame Janice Pereira at the opening of the New Law Term in September 2016.

“No wonder Chief Justice Janice Periera was moved to serve such a blistering caution about the corruption of the judicial process at the opening of the new law year in 2016, when she unapologetically stated quote ‘attempts – and I repeat attempts – at judicial interference are on the rise. These attempts emanate from places, persons and by methods which you least expect.”

The Leader of the Opposition in St. Kitts and Nevis, Mr.Denzil Douglas has also made claims about the Prime Minister mis-using his powers to interfere with the police force as part of a “sinister plan”. He has suggested that Dr.Harris removed the Commissioner of the Police Force because he believed him to be a supporter of Mr. Douglas.

Even putting the thinly-veiled insinuations of corruption to one side, there is no doubt that Wilkin has a point. Even if it is accepted that there is nothing suspect about the character of the Harrises and that they are able to do their roles with complete independence, the message it sends to the ordinary people of St. Kitts and Nevis is not a good one. It drains the hope from the young people of St. Kitts and Nevis who dream of occupying those positions themselves.

The prominence of one family in political and judicial offices screams of a dynastical rule which most maturing democracies have – however grudgingly – attempted to leave behind. Even in those places where dynastical politics remains prevalent, it has not proven popular of late and the acceptance of nepotism seems to be waning. You do not have to look too far back for evidence of this, either. Part of the reason why Hillary Clinton failed to win the American election in 2016 was the baggage she had accumulated in her 30-plus years in various positions of power; not to mention her husband having already been President. One of Donald Trump’s most effective jibes was “you’ve been doing this for 30 years”.

Another effective jibe along similar lines can be found in India where the current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, ran on a campaign pledging to make India “Congress-mukt” (Congress-free/free from the Congress Party). The dynastical nature of the Congress Party has no doubt been one of the reasons they have struggled of late.

The Nevis debaters were awarded 640 points and went on to win the debating competition in the final on Sunday. More significantly though, they may have won the fight for their future. Mr. Wilkin’s persuasive argument will hopefully bring the sanctity of St. Kitts and Nevis’s institutions to the forefront of political debate. It can only be hoped that the concerns of bright, intelligent youngsters like Mr Wilkin are addressed by the Prime Minister and not left to fester.

If that doesn’t happen, St. Kitts and Nevis may be deprived of a generation of talented and hopeful youngsters like who have already shown their ability to represent St. Kitts and Nevis’s interests to great effect.