BASSETERRE – Economic sectors in St Kitts and Nevis, dependent on the Citizenship by Investment Programme to drive economic activity have recognised that there is a rapid decrease in sales and other related activities. Former Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Right Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas has called on his successor the Hon Dr Timothy Harris to “come clean to the people of St Kitts and Nevis.”
“Tell them what is the level of applications that we are receiving today compared to 14 months ago. It is not enough to say how many passports we have issued over the last few years since the Citizenship by Investment Programme has been in place. No I challenge Dr Harris to state categorically to the citizens of this country how many applications are been processed on a monthly now to what it was 14 months ago and compare it to that level 14 months ago to Dominica and Antigua and what level it is today in those countries 14 months after our own programme has collapsed,” said Dr Douglas on Freedom FM 106.5 “Issues” programme on Wednesday.
Dr Douglas noted that since the Timothy Harris-led PAM/CCM/PLP Government took office all of the building activity initiated by his St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party Administration under the Citizenship by Investment Programme “has taken a serious hit.” “There is no new private sector project tinder this programme that has started in St Kitts and Nevis and facilitated by the new government of Dr Harris. The construction sector which was dependent on the buoyancy of this programme is now dependent on the public sector funded projects that are been pursued by this government of St Kitts and Nevis,” said Dr Douglas. He said even to start several new projects already on the drawing board and ready to be implemented have run into difficulty.
“The second cruise ship pier because of bungling and incompetence and we believe corruption, in terms of determining who will get that particular project nothing has started and a lot of the projects that were ongoing when we left office have stopped because (Prime Minister Harris) shut down the entire country when he took office 14 months ago,” said Dr Douglas. Projects which were ongoing and are now at a standstill include the St. Kitts Castle, Kittitian Hill Resort and Golf Course, the Pelican Bay Development, which has become the Hilton/Embassy Suites, renovation of Golden Lemon Hotel and T-Loft at Pirate’s Nest in Frigate Bay.
The ongoing projects include Koi Residences in Half Moon Bay, Koi Headquarters at the airport; Imperial Bay Golf and Beach Residences at Half Moon Bay/Conaree; Golden Rock Commercial Park, Park Hyatt St. Kitts; Christophe Harbour Marina, the Regional Police Training Academy, the Heldens Hotel and Condo and the road leading from Frigate Bay to the South East Peninsula including the construction of the tunnel.
Projects which were ongoing when the Labour Party Government left office and have since been completed include Silver Reef Development at Frigate Bay; the St. Kitts Solid Waste Management Corporation (SWMC) headquarters, the Victoria Road Day Care and Pre School, the Solar Farm on the Frigate Bay Road.