by Eulana Weekes
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): Several calls have been made for the Federal Government of St. Kitts and Nevis to engage in more direct consultations with the public before making major policy decisions.
Speaking to the press at ‘The Roundtable’ on October 07, 2025, the Prime Minister, Dr Terrance Drew, acknowledged suggestions from the press and agreed that more could be done to strengthen engagement between the government and citizens. He said his administration is committed to improving in that regard.
“So there should always be room, and I’m open to hearing suggestions for more consultations, more interaction, more sharing of information. That is critically important. That is why I have a forum like this, where I can sit down with people from the media and we talk about serious things, unfiltered. There’s nobody sitting down next to me, just me alone here as the leader of the country, facing the press openly, unfiltered, so that we can discuss the hard issues, and you can ask the hard questions, and therefore, in a sense, that is one of the ways in which you consult, by giving open access to the media. I started sitting down like this with the media, and it wasn’t the regular stand-up and have a press conference. Nothing is wrong with that, if that’s your method, but I thought it would be more useful to just sit around and allow the press to ask what they want. Then, you know, I sit down here by this desk, and you are here around this table, and we just go back and forth on the issues. I think it works better that way. It takes away a lot of the tension and formality.”
Drew reiterated, “As I’ve said before, I’m always open to suggestions, suggestions of more consultation. That’s an excellent one, and I will continue to make sure that there is room for improvement; we must have room for improvement, and so if we continue to do that, St. Kitts and Nevis will definitely have a bright future.”
In more recent times, the conversation surrounding the Special Sustainability Zone (SSZ) Authorisation Bill 2025 has sparked increased calls for public consultations.
Some politicians, social activists, and other individuals with a keen interest in the SSZ debate believe that a dialogue with the public before the Bill’s passage would have helped foster transparency and understanding, leading to better, more sustainable outcomes.
Drew said, “When the SSZ went out, there was no passing in one sitting. Again, it was laid before the Parliament, sent out for people to debate it, look at it, to influence the debate in Parliament. That is how it is actually supposed to work.”
The Prime Minister added, “We have taken the decision that we will no longer just go in and just in one sitting pass a bill unless it’s an emergency. Outside of that, we want the bill to circulate to the public so that the public can have input on it. But a lot of the time, we recognise that that method may not be working, or as it should, or because the public was never really educated on how that consultation is done to enrich the debate, maybe what we need to do is to look at the format.”
Though successive governments have used various media to consult with the people, including press conferences and, more recently, ‘The Roundtable’, a series introduced by Dr Drew, people believe more town hall meetings, community forums, and other related platforms should be used more consistently to gather input from the public on national issues.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister announced that a town hall meeting will be held on the Special Sustainability Zone Bill, with Attorney General Garth Wilkin expected to play a key role in guiding the discussions.
Additionally, Budget consultations will commence in St. Kitts in the coming weeks, ahead of the tabling of the Budget and the Budget Debate, Which Is expected to be held in December. Drew said Budget consultations will be held on the West and East sides of the island, as well as Basseterre.
“For the budget coming up, we’ll have at least three town hall meetings. One on this side of the island, one on that side of the island, and then another one that will be in Basseterre, instead of just having it in the Marriott alone. We want to have it at a community centre on this side of the island and a community centre on that side of the island.”
The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of public participation and stated that his government will hold more consultations and interactions with citizens.
