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During his press conference opening statement last Tuesday (November 3) Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris provided an insight into the ideals, principles and ideas that inform the policy actions and reform agenda of the new Team Unity government in relation to the Citizenship-by-Investment (CBI) programme in particular and the general path to a more prosperous future for all the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.

“Firstly we would say that a new ethos has evolved. We are in the business of development as a small developing country, but we have a global outlook. We aim to be the best managed and most prosperous small island state in the world…Since assuming office, our administration has been working, not only to create this new ethos with respect to the citizenship programme, not only to promote a new philosophical thinking in relation to what our citizenship means, but also and more specifically to bring some substantive reforms in these key critical areas…organizational reform.”

The Prime Minister said citizenship is a privilege and every citizen has an obligation to act at all times in a manner that will preserve the integrity, security and sustainability of the state and the benefits our people enjoy.

“It is an honour and a privilege that we accord to others by allowing them to acquire our citizenship. In the past I think the view was passport is for sale and anyone who had US$250,000 or US$400,000 was free to come. We are saying no, this is an honor and a privilege that we are according to others by allowing them to acquire our citizenship. They therefore must respect themselves, as every citizen should, but they respect our country and they must do nothing to sully our country’s good name or to compromise the benefits which our country and our people enjoy.”

Prime Minister Harris said the message the new government has been articulating at every opportunity, be it home or abroad, is that the CBI programme under his Team Unity administration will be more discerning.

“This is the message that I have been articulating at home and abroad. It is also the essence of the message that the majority got as we promoted the Citizenship-by-Investment programme in London, Miami, Singapore and Hong Kong in recent time…In sum, the citizens who come by way of our CBI programme must add value to St Kitts and Nevis. Ours must be a discerning cadre of people with an enduring interest in making this beloved St. Kitts and Nevis the best country.”