Tweet

Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 22, 2016 (SKNIS): Nationals of St. Kitts and Nevis can rest assured that the Government of National Unity will continue to do all in its power to meet and surpass the expectations of the electorate over the course of the next terms in office said Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris.

Prime Minister Harris made these declarations on Tuesday, February 16, in a media statement on the occasion of the Government of National Unity’s one year anniversary in office. He highlighted some of the accomplishments.

“One year later, we can now look back on where we have come from and safely say that we have achieved quite a bit in terms of arresting economic malaise and decline; re-gaining the trust of our international, strategic partners such as the USA, the UK, and the EU Member States; re-calibrating and resuscitating the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme, and implementing the recommendations of the risk management firm, IPSA,” said the prime minister.  “Our Citizenship by Investment Programme was the best performing one in 2015 outshining every other programme in the region in terms of the revenue realised.  The revenue realised for 2015 was 42 percent better than that projected by the last administration for 2015.”

Other achievements outlined by Dr. Harris include re-tooling, re-training and re-organising the Police Force to fight and prevent crime, inclusive of the appointment of a new High Command.  He noted that major crimes in 2015 were reduced by 16.7 percent relative to 2014, with the implementation of the Six Point Plan. Prime Minister Harris also touched on the People’s Employment Programme (PEP) stating that it is being rationalised and restructured into a sustainable agency so that it becomes a training ground for skill development and a viable employment pool from which to recruit good workers for jobs needed to fuel business expansion and new economic opportunities.

Prime Minister Harris stated that while the Government continues to fulfill its promises to the people, everyone should come together to work for the betterment of the country.

“Governance calls for collective effort.  No one single individual in our Cabinet can boast of having all of the answers, neither does any single citizen or resident possess a panacea or silver bullet to solve crime or the Zika virus or any other ill or challenge that lies on the pathway towards our desired prosperous future,” said Dr. Harris. “As such, we require ‘all hands on deck’, as we chart a new course and blaze a trail of social, economic and political development and maturity for present and future generations.”

He noted that if nothing else is accomplished his Government must declare a future for the people so that generations to come can benefit from the investment and the legacy left behind by the present generation.