Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly of St Kitts and Nevis and leader of the St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party, the Right Honourable Dr Denzil Douglas, led the opposition in a walk-out after chiding the Speaker of the National Assembly, Honourable Michael Perkins, for a display of gross, flagrant, and unjust conduct in the parliament.
Dr Douglas accused Speaker Perkins of holding himself as judge, jury, and executioner this morning as the Speaker refused to allow debate on the Motion of No Confidence filed by the parliamentary opposition against the Speaker.
The Motion was delivered to the Clerk of the National Assembly on the 13th of December, 2016 having been derived from the debate of the National Budget when Speaker Perkins asked opposition senator Honourable Nigel Carty to leave the National Assembly, thereby preventing his contribution to the Budget debate.
It was expected that on this morning’s sitting, the Speaker would have excused himself from the chair and allowed the Deputy Speaker, Senator Akilah Byron, to hear the Motion.
The St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party has declared that the actions of the Speaker and the government present a clear and present danger to the federation’s democracy and the traditional democratic practices of St Kitts and Nevis. Such actions can only lead to serious confusion and instability in the federation.
The party will therefore take the necessary steps to initiate a widespread and powerful resistance to the evident threats and injustices against the democracy of people of St Kitts and Nevis.