Member of Parliament for St. Christopher 2 (Central Basseterre), Hon. Marcella Liburd has condemned “the nasty and vicious attack on a local female journalist” by a surrogate of Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris.
WINNFM’s broadcast journalist, L. K. Hewlett has been the subject of derogatory postings by a Team Unity supporter for asking questions about Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris at last month’s St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party monthly press conference.
“I said to myself, this is what is happening under this (Team Unity) Government. It was a vicious and nasty attack. This is not the first time that this has happened to women. This is the Team Unity’s Facebook machinery,” said Liburd Wednesday.
She pointed out that the Team Unity Government does not like criticisms.
“Once you are critical or have a different view, they just go out and attack you,” said Liburd, who pointed out that those persons speak on behalf of PM Harris and Team Unity and post confidential information which only government ministers have access to.
“Once they do not like the criticisms, they just go out and attack you and on more than one occasion I have asked the prime minister and his government to disassociate themselves from what these people are saying, because they claim they are speaking on behalf of Team Unity, and they have never ever done so, because they are all part and parcel of it,” said Liburd, who questioned the silence of Minister of Gender Affairs Wendy Phipps and deputy speaker and senator Akilah Nisbett in relation to the “vicious and nasty attacks on the female journalist and others.”
Liburd also alluded to the vicious and personal attacks on her in the National Assembly by Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris with the collusion of Speaker Michael Perkins.
She gave the nation the assurance that Prime Minister Harris’ personal attacks in parliament “do not define me.”
“I will not go there with him. I will continue to tackle the burning issues that are burning him so much that his only response is personal attacks,” said Liburd.
At town hall meetings and in parliament, Dr. Harris has urged supporters of his government to stop listening to talk shows on Freedom FM and WINNFM that allow criticism of him and his government.
Prime Minister Harris venting his frustration about what’s being said on radio about him and his government said: “When you hear some of the things that big people on Freedom Radio, you just streups and turn off your radio – foolishness dem a talk. When you hear some of the crazy things some of the people want to call in on WINN [FM] and scandalize and undermine your team unity government, turn off your radio – foolishness dem a talk. Stop listen to de nonsense dem that dey a talk. Don’t get yourself caught up in that mischief- that is a distraction.”