“SYMBOL OF LOVE” OR SYMBOL OF LOSS? — PAM LEADER BLASTS DREW ADMINISTRATION OVER $30 MILLION FOREIGN MONUMENT AT FORT THOMAS

Basseterre, St. Kitts — October 2025
The People’s Action Movement (PAM) Leader has unleashed a blistering public statement condemning what he describes as a reckless attempt by the Dr. Terrance Drew administration to impose a $30 million foreign-inspired monument on one of St. Kitts’ most sacred historic sites — the Fort Thomas grounds.

In a fiery social media post that ignited waves of public outrage, the opposition party leader accused the government of “sneaking a foreign monument onto a sacred piece of our history” under the guise of development and cultural investment.

“This government is attempting to sneak a $30 million foreign monument onto a sacred piece of our history and they expect us to call it progress. This is absolutely crazy,” the PAM Leader Natasha Shanny Grey-Brookes declared.


A “TAJ MAHAL” ON KITTITIAN SOIL

The post, which has since gone viral, took direct aim at the architectural renderings of what the Drew administration has reportedly dubbed the “Symbol of Love Museum.”

“They are trading the authentic, priceless heritage of St. Kitts for a cheap, imported vision of a ‘Taj Mahal look.’ The domes, arches, and minarets are alien to our Kittitian soul. It doesn’t reflect our story — it replaces it and throws water on our heritage,” the statement read.

Calling the proposed structure “the Symbol of Misplaced Priorities and Monumental Arrogance,” the PAM Leader accused the government of attempting to overwrite national history with architectural vanity projects that serve foreign interests more than local pride.


“SELLING HISTORY ON LEASE-TO-OWN TERMS”

Brookes went further, charging that the project represents a pattern of secretive, unaccountable governance, echoing growing public frustration over the administration’s opaque decision-making.

“I will not stand silent while this administration sells our history on a lease-to-own arrangement that guarantees foreign ownership of a national landmark. They talk about investment, but what we’re seeing is a dangerous pattern of surrendering national assets behind closed doors,” she wrote.

She questioned whether proper consultation, tendering, or heritage preservation assessments were ever conducted, calling the administration’s process “a slap in the face to the people who entrusted them with their voices.”


“GILDED MONUMENTS WHILE PEOPLE STRUGGLE”

The opposition party leader slammed what he called the Drew administration’s “tone-deaf priorities,” juxtaposing the multimillion-dollar monument against the backdrop of rising cost of living and neglected national infrastructure.

“We have dilapidated museums crying out for attention and families struggling with grocery bills. Yet the priority is a gilded, foreign-inspired structure while our own heritage and our citizens’ needs are left to crumble,” he said.

The statement drew particular attention to the Fort Thomas site, once a military stronghold and symbol of national defense, warning that the government risks desecrating an emblem of national pride for the sake of a vanity project.


A CALL TO DEFEND NATIONAL HERITAGE

In her concluding remarks, the PAM Leader issued a sharp warning to the Prime Minister and his team:

“Let this be a warning to Dr. Drew and his team — you cannot outsource our culture, and you cannot privatize our history. The Fort Thomas site belongs to the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.”

Public reaction to the statement has been swift and emotional, with dozens of cultural advocates, historians, and ordinary citizens flooding social media with messages of agreement — many echoing the sentiment that the government is “losing touch with the Kittitian soul.”

As outrage continues to build, the Drew administration now faces growing pressure to clarify the origins, funding, and purpose of what could become one of the most divisive national projects in recent memory.


SKN Times will continue to monitor this developing story as citizens, heritage groups, and opposition voices demand transparency and accountability over the fate of Fort Thomas — a site many consider the heart of the nation’s historical identity.

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