St Kitts-Nevis: Douglas will not attend ‘hurriedly scheduled’ parliament sitting

Last updated: November 14, 2017 at 11:50 am

The National Assembly of St Kitts and Nevis will sit today, with several bills coming before the house.

The Magistrate’s Code of Procedure (Amendment) Bill is expected to be introduced, and Vincent Byron – attorney general and minister responsible for justice and legal affairs – is due to suggest a second reading of the Legal Profession (Amendment) Bill 2017.

The leader of the opposition, Denzil Douglas, has already announced that he won’t be attending today’s session.

A statement from his office said he his absence is “due to pre-existing travel arrangements” which were made “well in advance” of this sitting being planned.

“The St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party and the parliamentary opposition are firmly of the view that this particular parliamentary sitting was hurriedly scheduled in an effort to make the rumour about Dr Douglas being disqualified as a member of parliament appear factual,” the statement said.

“It is an egregious lie born of Dr Harris’ ever-growing fear of the Labour Party’s and Dr. Douglas’ increasing popularity throughout the country after nearly three years of Team Unity’s disastrous governance.”

The issue of Douglas’ right to attend parliament revolves around Prime Minister Timothy Harris’ claim that the former PM hold Dominican citizenship.

Shortly after he made those claims, a black and white image was shared online that purportedly showed Douglas’ diplomatic passport – issued by Dominica.

Harris has repeatedly stated that dual citizens should not be able to stand for parliament, a view shared by Douglas when he was in power.