BASSETERRE, ST KITTS – A report that all of the 2016 budgetary allocation for travelling by ministers of government was used up by the end of June.
This word from former Deputy Prime Minister the Hon. Dr. Earl Asim Martin who disclosed that Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister has had to resort to Appropriation Warrants for further excessive travelling.
“We have found that ministers of government, permanent secretaries and even secretaries to ministers are travelling around the world and are travelling First Class,” said Dr. Martin who said the entire delegation that traveled to New York for the General Assembly Meeting at the United Nations traveled First Class.
“When we were ministers of government we had a policy in place that the Prime Minister traveled First Class while other ministers and officials traveled Economy Class. The only time ministers traveled First Class was on trans-Atlantic routes,” Dr Martin told listeners to “Issues” on Freedom FM.
“That has changed (under this new government. My information is that the travel vote for ministers has burst through the seams since June of this year and Appropriation Warrants are required in the middle of the year to ensure that ministers can travel,” said Martin, who served as the Parliamentary Representative for East Basseterre from 1993 to 2015.
He said for the last 18 months, the Prime Minister has been travelling every single week.
“Can we point to any positive single development that he has brought back to improve the economy of St Kitts and Nevis? Not a single one. The only thing we have seen is that his girth has gotten bigger. That is the only thing that we have seen,” said Dr. Martin.