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BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, DECEMBER 28^th, 2017 (PRESS SEC) – St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, said at Sunday’s (December 24^th) swearing-in ceremony for the new Cabinet of the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) that the people of Nevis sent a clear message that Team Unity is stronger than ever going forward.

The Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) party secured a solid win of four out of five seats over the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) in Nevis’ local elections held on Monday, December 18^th, 2017.  The Honourable Mark Brantley was sworn in as Premier of Nevis the next day.

The CCM, the People’s Action Movement (PAM) and the People’s Labour Party (PLP) comprise the highly popular Government of National Unity, which was sworn in 34 months ago after a resounding victory in the federal elections of Monday, February 16^th, 2015.  The candidates affiliated with Team Unity won seven out of the 11 federal seats.   

“The Unity movement had always been about going forward.  It had always been about creating history, not any old history that hearkens to the past; it was a history that we must create every day by our actions, by our deeds, by our courage, by our sense of purpose and justice.  That’s what brought the Unity together,” Prime Minister Harris said during Sunday’s inauguration held at the Elquemedo T. Willett Park in Charlestown, Nevis.  Dr. Harris was announced as the movement’s leader on Thursday, September 26^th, 2013 at Greenlands Park in St. Kitts.

Last Sunday in Nevis, Prime Minister Harris further stated, “That is what the leaders of the CCM had when they determined to break the tradition of division between Federal and NIA, when they determined that they would sign on to an accord that was watershed in the history of politics, providing an opportunity for genuine unity, cooperation, amicability in the relationship and ease of dialogue; no more bouncing of the cheque of the NIA, but a genuine partnership.”

The leaders of the three political parties comprising Team Unity signed the Charlestown Accord in Nevis’ capital on Wednesday, December 17th, 2014.  The 17-point agreement states as its first point that, “Nevis shall receive its fair and equitable share of natural resources based on the pro rata population basis to ensure that Nevisians too will benefit fairly from the returns of national investments.”

The Honourable Vance Amory, who was Premier of Nevis and leader of the Concerned Citizens Movement at the time, signed on behalf of the CCM.    

 

Of Premier Mark Brantley’s predecessor, the Honourable Prime Minister said on Sunday, “What I would say of him is that he is a man whose word is his bond, and every commitment that he gave to me privately has worked publicly.  He has been a rich and powerful resource on which I have relied, and the stability in part of the Team Unity is due in no small measure to the maturity of the Honourable Vance Amory.”      

Of the Honourable Vance Amory’s successor, Prime Minister Harris described him as “a wonderful addition to the leadership of the CCM, and of course we have had the blessings of his work.”

The Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis continued, saying that Premier Mark Brantley “will always have a special place in my memory, in my heart and in the history of the Team Unity because several nights he braved stormy waters, not content to be ‘sheriff of Charlestown,’ but to ensure good governance and decency at the federal level, and he came and made waves in Basseterre and in St. Kitts, fanning the flame of Unity and I say thank you.”