St Kitts and Nevis: Prime Minister Terrance Drew organized his first Press Conference with the other Federal Cabinet members of St Kitts and Nevis. During this press conference, the Prime Minister shared updates regarding the government’s steps to develop the country.
He also emphasized the progress and matters of concern and provided assurance that his government and his ministers are working on the New Day and the Better Way and trying to fulfil the promises they made just two months ago.
The government of St Kitts and Nevis is committed to pledges to serve the public with sincerity, integrity, and transparency. It has made significant strides on its behalf for the benefit of all.
They worked diligently to implement several critical initiatives prioritized during our 2022 election campaign. Rest assured that this administration will make St. Kitts and Nevis number one again.
PM Terrance Drew’s administration is prudent and guided by law and order, and its purpose is to serve the nation as a whole. The government also assures that they are not going reckless in their approach. They are intentional and have taken methodological measures to ensure that appropriate considerations are being made and will follow procedures that align with the Civil Service Code of Conduct.
Moreover, the government has already engaged with relevant investment agencies to advance the national developmental agenda.
PM Drew’s made advancements in almost every sector in St Kitts and Nevis.
After becoming the PM, he removed all the COVID-19 restrictions first for all outgoing and incoming travellers. St. Kitts and Nevis is ‘fully open for business and also looking forward to welcoming all, and also announced the start of the cruise season after two years of pandemic break.
After the health sector, they focused on the education sector, providing free tuition classes to all the students attending Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College, which offers great financial relief to many families throughout the Federation. The government of Terrance Drew understood the importance and value of education and promised to continue the investment considerably.
Additionally, as promised, the process has begun for severance payments for those workers who were sent home and/or fired for not taking the COVID-19 vaccine and did not receive severance payments.
The government has also begun to make significant and indelible moves to overhaul the health sector in St. Kitts and Nevis. They also promised an efficient system that effectively attends to the needs and growing demands of the people, a system that is rewarding for all stakeholders – the nurses, the doctors, the auxiliary staff, and the patients alike.
Moreover, the government also launched a special fund to provide financial assistance for children needing medical assistance overseas, and the first student who got benefits under this scheme on 15 October 2022 travelled to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados to undergo ten months of chemotherapy and additional medical treatments; and indeed, send best wishes to that family.
After becoming the Prime Minister, he first installed an MRI Machine for the JNF General Hospital, which was planned to be installed and commissioned by the end of this year. He also assures to get the availability of a medical doctor (24/7) at the Pogson Medical Centre in Sandy Point. This is an impactful and major initiative that will be implemented at every medical hospital across St. Kitts and Nevis.
As a government, they promised to eliminate corruption within the Federation, – To this end, the Integrity Commission is currently in its final stages of being fully activated. The Commission will finally get the thrust needed to address corruption by high-level public officers in our Federation through amendments to the Integrity in Public Life Act.
“I am happy to announce that very soon the three main pillars of our Anti-Corruption programme will be actioned. Our proposed Anti-Corruption Act envisions the appointment of a Special Prosecutor to investigate and prosecute acts of corruption throughout the Civil Service, Statutory Boards and Government-Owned Companies, and the Freedom of Information Act, passed in 2018, will finally be operationalized to give the press and public access to non-confidential Government information and to protect whistle-blower, said PM Terrance Drew.
St Kitts and Nevis administration intends to strengthen and improve the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme for enhanced sustainability. They also took consultations with the various stakeholders, and the legislation provides for certain committees to be set up to supervise the process.
The government also assures strengthening relations with the sister island Nevis and ensures that developments and advancements are fairly distributed throughout the Federation.
PM Terrance Drew stated, ” As a demonstration of this commitment to deeper partnerships, the Premier of Nevis, Hon. Mark Brantley and I met with the Ambassador for the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, His Excellency Michael Chau-Hong Lin, who provided a grant to our government for the Pinney’s Beach Nevis Sustainable Tourism Enhancement Project. This is Commented [Ma2]: I don’t think you can say this. $500 was promised, so it should not be a question of how much but more when part of our commitment to enhancing the capacity of our economic prospects.”
PM Terrance Drew also gave a commitment to providing a free and fair electoral process, and as part of this commitment, Mr Oaklyn Peets will be appointed as the new Supervisor of Elections this week.
Women have been given a fair opportunity, and youth have been given a fair chance to be involved in the decision-making process. This is a promise of St Kitts and Nevis Administration; to ensure that women hold prominent positions within the province.
PM Terrance Drew stated, “We understand that gender equality is essential for economic prosperity. You can look forward to equal involvement in our government system. In fact, there is a high possibility that we will have a female Speaker of the house, but you will have to wait until the new opening session of parliament on Tuesday, 25 October 2022, to find out. There is also the prospect of a female Governor-General.”