BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS(CUOPM) – The unanimous passage of the 2013 not only shows a united Federal Cabinet, but proves that the opposition in the St. Kitts and Nevis National is wrong on the Budget.
"One after the other this week, every single Member of the St. Kitts and Nevis Federal Cabinet rose to their feet to outline to the Nation the ways in which the 2013 Budget would be used by the Ministries and Departments under their respective jurisdictions, in order to advance the interests of the nation," the report said.
It noted that "on the surface, this was the most normal of parliamentary rituals anywhere in the world – the annual presentation and debating of the Budget. But to the people of St. Kitts & Nevis, it was a moment of high drama – a moment in which the Opposition, which for weeks had proclaimed themselves the dominant presence in the Parliament, was nowhere to be seen. And a moment in which Prime Minister Douglas, who for weeks had asserted that the unity and cohesiveness of his Cabinet would deliver for his Government this very important legislative victory, proved the validity of his claim as every one of his Cabinet Members, without exception, made clear their support for the Fiscal Year 2013 Budget and, in the process, ensured that that Budget became law."
"This was a debate that the Opposition had fought tooth and nail to avoid, knowing that once the Budget was brought to the floor and passed, it would be impossible to continue saying that the Prime Minister no longer had the support of the Parliament. One of their most vocal spokespersons had even warned publicly that if this vote did indeed take place, that would be the end of the Opposition’s propaganda about the Prime Minister no longer having the support of the Parliament. Indeed, so determined were they to avoid this vote that they went to Court in a futile attempt to secure an injunction to stop it," said the Report, which further noted
"In recent weeks, Prime Minister Douglas has repeatedly pointed out that regardless of the claims and charges made by his political detractors, as long as he continues to function within the parameters of the St. Christopher & Nevis Constitution, and as long as he continues moving forward to meet the needs of the Nation, the Opposition’s high decibel propaganda will, in the end, be exposed as just that – propaganda."
The author is of the view that the "successful passage of the 2013 Federal Budget, after the Opposition had repeatedly told the Nation that this was either impossible, unconstitutional, or in some way untoward, stands as a monumental rebuke to the Opposition’s dogged, determined, and in the end terribly misleading propaganda."
(Story by Erasmus Williams)