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BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, April 25, 2018 (PLP PR Media Inc.) — Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris has advised that Government will shortly announce a new policy to guide decision making in relation to the use of community centres, and has hit out at a member of the opposition for peddling information that is not correct.

 

Dr Harris made the remarks at his monthly press conference held in the Parliamentary Lounge at Government Headquarters in Basseterre on Wednesday April 25.

 

“The policies we inherited from the last regime did not specifically provide for access to community centres by political parties,” said the Prime Minister. “Indeed it served the government well then in power because it helped to ostracise the Team Unity from such facilities. We promised to do better and so I have asked Senator Wendy Phipps to review and to bring a more enlightened policy for Cabinet to consider for our country.”

 

Senator the Hon Wendy Phipps was present during press conference, and so were the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education the Hon Shawn Richards, and the Minister of Public Infrastructure, Post, Urban Development and Transport the Hon Ian Patches Liburd.

 

“The policy will inter alia facilitate wider access to our centres, better management and maintenance of them, and we will hold users of the facilities accountable for their use or misuse. Too many of our centres like so many other government properties were allowed to decay under the former administration, and the Lodge Community Centre represents one such facility.”

 

He advised that Government has already invited Public Works to assist in the designs with respect to a brand new Lodge Community Centre at a new location outside the congested housing development in which it was a part.

 

“It has been drawn to my attention some statements made by Marcella Liburd, and so today I reject as dangerous frolic the unsubstantiated allegation by Marcella Liburd that keys to the community centres are being held by the Office of the Prime Minister,” commented the Honourable Prime Minister. “If it was done by Dr Denzil Douglas, it has never been done, and will never be done under Dr Timothy Harris.”

 

Dr Harris added: “Such a blatant and callous lie from the former Minister for Social Development deserves to be condemned for the mischief it was intended to cause and the intellectual dishonesty of the former Minister who would posit such untruth even when one caller pierces a hole in her tissue of lies from his knowledge of how access is gained to the Conaree Community Centre.”