by Kevon Browne
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): The St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party is joining the COVID-19 Taskforce in a consultative role.
This announcement comes in the form of a press release from the opposition purporting that after 18 months of lobbying to join in on the “All of Society approach” to the COVID-19 response, it has finally been invited.
The release reads: “the SKNLP has always expressed interest in supporting the government’s management of the pandemic. In matters which concern public health and the social fabric of this country the SKNLP will always prioritize participation over politics. Therefore, we will take this long-awaited opportunity to contribute to the management of COVID-19.”
However, they have some questions:
· Why so late?
· Why now?
· Is this a remedial approach for the failed consultative process?
It has been a little over a year since the start of the pandemic and the COVID-19 response to such and apart from the parliament the public response or discourse from the Opposition seemed to have been funneled through niche channels, in a very homogenous grouping, instead of including the wider St. Kitts-Nevis.
Tuesday (March 30) the SKNLP said it joined “to support a return, to some degree, of livability for:”
· Those out of work, defaulting on the loan payments,
· Victims of growing cases of domestic violence,
· Those unable to access severance payments,
· Mothers struggling to feed their children,
· Fathers struggling to support their families,
· Families struggling to stay together.
