PM Skerrit congratulates new St. Kitts PM

Dr. Timothy Harris being sworn in as Prime Minister by Resident Judge Marlene Carter
Dr. Timothy Harris being sworn in as Prime Minister by Resident Judge Marlene Carter

Chairman of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit has congratulated the new Prime Minister of St. Kitts, Dr. Timothy Harris, in his victory during general election held on that island on Monday.

Skerrit also said he hopes the people of St. Kitts put aside partisan politics and work together in developing their country.

“I want to first of all congratulate Dr. Timothy Harris and his coalition team for having won the election in St. Kitts and Nevis,” he said on state-owned DBS Radio. “Clearly it was a keenly contested election where the Team Unity won seven out of 11 seats removing the St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party who has been in office over the last 20 years.”

He stated that he has spoken to Dr. Harris to extend his “best wishes to him, to indicate to him that Dominica shall continue to work with St. Kitts and Nevis on many important regional and international issues.”

“The world is going through, the Caribbean is going through very challenging times and it is important for us to work together as the OECS and of course as CARICOM, to ensure that we can help each other to overcome those challenges,” the Prime Minister noted.

He said outgoing Prime Minister, Dr. Denzil Douglas, had a “good run” in office.

“He has done a lot of important things for St. Kitts and Nevis and no doubt history will record his many achievements on the behalf of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis,” he noted.

Skerrit said he hopes the people of St. Kitts “can settle down” after the election, pointing out it will be good for the people to set aside the “political rancour” and not let partisan politics get in the way.

“What happens in these small islands, and it is becoming a global phenomenon, is that we spend so much time on partisanship rather than national development imperatives,” he noted. “So my hope and prayer is that they settle down because certainly the goverment is going to need the country to settle down and to focus on the whole of St. Kitts and Nevis. Dr. Harris is coming in at a very challenging and difficult time ….”

Skerrit said the new Prime Minister has been in many other portfolios in government in the past.

“So he knows his way around the government and I am hoping that he can steer the ship of state properly,” he stated.

The coalition’s victory at the poll put an end to Douglas’ 20-year rule over St. Kitts. Harris was sworn in as Prime Minister on Wednesday.

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21 Comments

  1. February 19, 2015

    Mr. Skerrit please clean up your own back yard and you and that ole speaker set the example about partisanship

  2. kalinago
    February 19, 2015

    Remember what he said in St.Lucia that is skerrite” the labor parties of the oces is the only grouped of people that the people can turn too, to govern their countries” but they will soon realized that their time to govern is and Will come to an end. The people of these countries are seeing that the labor parties are bringing the majority of the population poor and there are also to many nepotism taking place.

  3. anonymous2
    February 19, 2015

    Well, they got a party out after 20 yrs., maybe there is hope yet for DA. It took a long time to wake up.

  4. Just Asking
    February 19, 2015

    I wonder why it took Hon. Skerrit so long to give a voice to the Kittian election. When the Supervisor of elections halted the counting of votes on the pretext that some contesting the election had concerns, many regional leaders called on the Supervisor to continue with the election process as he actions are questionable, unconstutitional and signals that he and the powers-that-be seem to be tampering in the decision of the people…Did I hear from Hon. Skerrit…no?

    Power is deadly….some people just can’t let it go. Even after the house was dissolved, Douglas giving orders to withhold the election results to see how he could throw some ballots….but the writing on the wall was too big..
    One by one throughout the Caribbean, people are getting rid of Labour parties…Dominicans will wake up one day and do likewise. Not even Douglas’s planeloads could help him this time around…

  5. Mizz J
    February 19, 2015

    Is it good protocol to refer to the Hon. Prime Minister as simply Skerrit? (Partisan Politics aside)

    • PS
      February 19, 2015

      That is his name, is it not? If it is ok to refer in headlines, newscast and generally to refer to President Obama simply as Obama, or to President Putin as just Putin it certainly would be ok to call mr. Skerrit simply Skerrit in this context. I do not think any offence or insult is intended. Only an insecure person would feel slighted by this.

  6. truth
    February 19, 2015

    Hon. Skerritt please steer your ship till you sink it.
    Please allow the opposition to steer the people ship and do no muzzle them , they represent people from Dominica and they do have a Democratic right to represent the people in the House of Assemble and to talk on their behalf.

  7. carol
    February 19, 2015

    Dominicans you all are to bias.

  8. Pedro
    February 19, 2015

    Mr Skerrit need to put the advice he is giving to Mr Harris into action in Dominica and stop milking the cow for himself and his circle of friends.

  9. Free and Fair
    February 19, 2015

    “So he (Dr. Harris) knows his way around the government and I am hoping that he can steer the ship of state properly,” Skerrit stated.

    Knowing your way around the Government does NOT guarantee good and effective governance. This is an empty hope coming from Skerrit, who appears to be unsettled by the defeat of the Douglas’ Labour Party. The writing is on the wall.

  10. Lougawoo Mem
    February 19, 2015

    It’s the right thing to do. However, check out this extract. In his own words, Skerrit said he hopes the people of St. Kitts “can settle down” after the election, pointing out it will be good for the people to set aside the “political rancour” and not let partisan politics get in the way.

    Skerrit also said he hopes the people of St. Kitts put aside partisan politics and work together in developing their country.

    I pointed out the above to continue expose the level of deceit, double standard and hypocrisy that are endemic in the Prime Minister Skerrit. He’s well known for saying one thing while he demonstrates the opposite. He needs to learn “leading from the front” and stop being deceitful. No one knows “PARTISAN POLITICS” like Roosevelt Skerrit. He promotes it and enjoys dividing his people. It shall not be forever cause after a time is an other.

  11. Erasmus B . Black
    February 19, 2015

    And the people of St Kitts and Nevis made it happen. The late Corazon Aquino, the quiet housewife who led a people power campaign in the Philippines that ousted the alleged very powerful dictator who controlled the bureaucracy, army, police and media was quoted as saying ” I don’t have any formula for ousting a dictator. All I can suggest is to forget about yourself and think of your people. It’s always the people who make things happen.”

    Keep hope alive Dominica. The cracks in the graven image are beginning to show.

  12. Marcus Hill
    February 19, 2015

    “….and no doubt history will record his many achievements on the behalf of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis,”

    I also hope that history records his disgraceful attempt to latch on to power even after it was clear that the people had spoken and voted him out.

    I mean what is this: ordering the Elections Commissioner to suspend the results, barricading yourself at the Government HQ and calling in your police force to surround the HQ on eletions night even after the whole of St.Kitts and Nevis knew that you had lost the elections.

    To me

    • Just Asking
      February 20, 2015

      Perhaps, he had some last minute incriminating evidence of his misuse ofpower to hide or delete…you never know.

      What I can’t understand though is why when the house is dissolved, PM’s feel that they are still in charge to even be giving orders? Shouldn’t the Governir-general or president be in charge during the interim?

      I can see Skerrit doing the same thing when he turn comes to vacate government HQs, and his cronies policemen, will run at his barking, and Mr. Larouque will act in a similiar manner as St. Kitts’ Supervisor of Elections.

      If P.M Harris fires the Supervisor of Eldction, people will start bawling: victimization….but he should be fired for taking instructions from a PM after the House had dissolved. He is too loyal to his master to be a decision-maker in P.M Harris’s circle.

  13. CC
    February 19, 2015

    Change will come soon to DA

    • The truth
      February 19, 2015

      I thought that change did arrive but some of us just refuse to embrace it. We want our own definition for change and want to dictate to the masses what change should be. The masses have embraced change. Get on with it.

  14. JoJo
    February 19, 2015

    It is decent and diplomatic of mr. Skerrit to congratulate Dr. Harris but I think they know each other from when he was a member of the Dr. Douglas cabinet before he fell out with him. I see that mr. Skerrit hopes that “the people of St. Kitts put aside partisan politics and work together in developing their country”. I hope these good wishes also apply to our own country and that it does not mean that everyone must agree with mr. Skerrit’s policies and unity means that there must be no opposition because that would not be democracy but dictatorship. I trust mr. Skerrit does not want to treat our people the way he does not want to be treated himself.

    • The truth
      February 19, 2015

      I agree with you 100% likewise we expect the opposition to put Dominica before party politics and help build Dominica by working with the Govt. instead to trying their best to bring down the Govt. by destroying Dominica.

  15. Intransugent 1
    February 19, 2015

    “What happens in these small islands, and it is becoming a global phenomenon, is that we spend so much time on partisanship rather than national development imperatives,” he noted. “So my hope and prayer is that they settle down because certainly the goverment is going to need the country to settle down and to focus on the whole of St. Kitts and Nevis. Dr. Harris is coming in at a very challenging and difficult time ….”
    TICKLE US JOKER!- YOu talking about urself LMAO & Real Loud.

  16. Bee
    February 19, 2015

    “So he knows his way around the government and I am hoping that he can steer the ship of state properly,” he stated.

    But but but Skerrit coparwayso we! when he came into power what he knew about steering ship?…….., he has managed to steer Dominicans into a beggars and he has managed to steer his way into stealing elections. He has managed to steer his way into infiltrating every instrument of state, the courts, the media, the police and most unfortunately he has managed to steer his way into hoodwinking The Dominican public into giving him more time to steer things his way.

    • Titiwi
      February 19, 2015

      Bee, you sure you are not talking about a Pirate of the Caribbean?

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