BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS – After orchestrating negative feature articles in the local, regional and international media and a massive assault during their two year negative pre-election and election campaign aimed at crippling the once world leader in the Citizenship By Investment Programme and defeating the near 20-year old St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Administration of then Prime Minister the Right Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas, the 20 month-old Timothy Harris Administration is grappling to restore the sector to its top place.
Now well informed sources say that Prime Minister Dr the Hon. Timothy Harris has been advised that he has caused so much personal injury to the programme that he should stay far from any promotion aimed at resuscitating the once buoyant sector.
But former Deputy Prime Minister in the Denzil Douglas government, Dr. Earl Asim Martin is of the view the rebranding of the Citizenship By Investment Programme by the Team Unity administration “will not bear fruits as the Team Unity Government while in opposition destroyed the sector” which brought in millions of dollars in revenue to improve the livelihood of Kittitians and Nevisians, improve the vital sectors and the overall economy of the twin-island federation, which recorded seven percent growth in 2014.
Speaking during Wednesday’s edition of the “Issues” programme on Freedom FM and also on Kyss FM, Dr. Martin noted that with all the unfounded statements that diplomatic and regular passports for economic citizenship were being distributed in Dubai and that the system was corrupt, 20 months after the evaluation, the Team Unity Government cannot provide adverse information as was stated.
“It is a deception. I know Timothy Harris well and if he found any illegality or adverse information, he would have come out with it immediately,” said Dr. Martin, adding that the consultant brought in by the Labour Government in 2014 to carry out the evaluation aimed at improving the programme has now been employed as head of the Citizenship By Investment Unit by Dr. Harris.
Dr. Martin noted that whereas under the Labour Party Administration the Unit was processing about 300 applications per month, it is now handling around 20 to 25 monthly from some 80 to 90 service providers.
“It is obvious that if the Unit is only processing 20 to 25 applications monthly and it means some people (service providers) are not getting any work,’ he said.
He pointed to the vexing issue of blatant nepotism in the new government since it took office in February 2015, disclosing that a nephew of Prime Minister Harris is now a registered service provider.
Dr Martin also pointed out that when the St. Kitts and Nevis Consulate was opened in Dubai, the then opposition ridiculed the decision and threatened to close it down when it took office.
“It is still open today. We were leading the world in that sector and corner of the globe. We are not now the leader. Antigua and Barbuda now has opened not a Consulate, but an Embassy in Dubai. Antigua realised what the Labour Government in St Kitts was doing was the right thing, but instead the then Timothy Harris opposition criticised the move and fooled the electorate that passports were being issued from the Dubai office,” said Dr. Martin.
Dr. Harris even accused the former government of “selling passports like black pudding on a Friday.”
The St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Programme, once the leading programme in the world, is now “at the tail end of the market” as competitors Dominica, St. Lucia, Grenada ad Antigua and Barbuda “steal the march and creeping into the market.”
That was a view recently expressed by condominium developer in St. Kitts, Mr. Sebastian Mottram.
While in opposition, propaganda online media outlets such as the St Kitts-Nevis Times and Times Caribbean, owned by Team Unity, were used to spread false information.
Even after taking up the Office of Prime Minister, Dr Timothy Harris has made several negative statements about the programme at local, regional and international fora.
Now sources say Dr. Harris has been told to keep far away from international fora after crusading the Caribbean and beyond calling for a level playing field and the harmonisation of the Citizenship by Investment Programme in the OECS, but Caribbean Prime Ministers never took him seriously and are conducting their individual promotions.
In recent weeks, the Prime Minister of Dominica, Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit and Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Hon. Gaston Browne have paid separate visits to Dubai and Qatar.
Actor Robert De Niro was part of the delegation of Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Hon. Gaston Browne.
Meanwhile speaking on Sugar City Rock Radio Unity program with Michael Powell, Minister of Tourism Lindsay Grant said the Team Unity government was ensuring that the tourism product would enhance development in St. Kitts-Nevis.