By Devonne Cornelius
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): The six elected representatives of the National Assembly are expected to issue a joint statement following Governor-General Sir Tapley Seaton denying their request for the removal of Dr. Timothy Harris as Prime Minister.
WINN FM spoke with Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Shawn Richards who confirmed that a statement will be issued.
In a letter dated May 03, 2022, the Governor-General said “I have reviewed your communication requesting the Governor-General to remove the Prime Minister and to appoint another Minister in his stead.
I wish to advise that under our Constitution no such power resides in the Governor-General and I am therefore unable to accede to your request.”
Six elected representatives of the National Assembly wrote to the Governor-General indicating that they no longer support, and have lost trust and confidence in Dr. Timothy Harris as Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Lawyer and former government minister Dwyer Astaphan in a commentary on Wednesday, May 04, suggested that the six elected representatives should have resigned as ministers of government before submitting a Motion of No Confidence against the government.
“We know that the Speaker of the National Assembly is seeking legal advice as to whether the Motion of No Confidence filed against the government and the Prime Minister on April 25, 2022, by Cabinet Minister Mark Brantley, Shawn Richards, Alexis Jeffers, Eric Evelyn, Lindsay Grant, and Jonel Powell is in order.
I think that if there is a defect in that Motion of No Confidence, it would be related to the fact that when it was filed, the six gentlemen were still members of the cabinet. Maybe they are still members of the cabinet as we speak. I say this because there is a view that it would be at best awkward and at worst unacceptable for cabinet ministers to be signatories to a Motion of No Confidence against an administration of which they are members.”
Speaker of the National Assembly Hon. Micheal Perkins on April 27 told the elected representatives that he will be seeking legal advice to ensure the Motion of No Confidence meets the stipulated requirements of both the Constitution of St. Kitts and Nevis and the Standing Orders of the National Assembly.
A Motion of No Confidence must be tabled for debate in less than 21 days.
