Responding to a caller on Freedom Fm’s Issues program on Wednesday about police brutality, former Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition Dr Denzil Douglas took the opportunity to remind Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris not to trample on the rights and freedoms of Nationals of St. Kitts-Nevis.
Dr Douglas told listeners to Freedom Fm and Kyss Fm on Wednesday that Prime Minister Harris in a townhall meeting on Tuesday night had advised the security forces to “rough up” those who were infringing on the law.
Douglas remarked that a reign of terror is what has been announced by the coalition Team unity Government on its second anniversary of coming to power and on the eve of the anniversary of the Buckleys riot.
“This call by the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and Minister of National Security, to the security forces to unleash a reign of terror on the people of St. Kitts and Nevis, will not be tolerated here in this country. I send therefore a very strong and stern warning to the Prime Minister that he must desist from threatening the welfare of our people, trampling on their basic human rights to protest if they have to protest and their basic rights to speak out if they have to speak out,” said Dr. Douglas, in response to a male caller who expressed outrage over Prime Minister Harris’ remarks.
Dr. Douglas said the people must not accept any ‘roughing up’ of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis as declared in a reign of terror by the Timothy Harris Government.
The St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party caretaker for St. Christopher 8, Dr. Terrance Drew in blasting the “rough dem up” remark by Prime Minister Harris, asked if that instruction to the police and defence force is a new addition to the prime minister’s crime plan.
“Since this government took office in February 2015, there has been no policy and no plan announced for the youth of this country,” said Dr. Drew who pointed out that many of the programmes instituted by the former St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Government have been dismantled by the Team Unity Government.
He mentioned several including the MAGIC programme initiated by former commissioner of police, Dr. C.G.Walwyn, which was aimed at students thus reducing crime and violence among the youth.
“It was successful as there was over a 12 month period no serious crime in the high schools in St. Kitts and Nevis and since the government changed those programmes have been dismantled. It was evident that had the programmes continued we would have been seeing positive results,” said Dr. Drew.