BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, March 25, 2017 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – The People’s Labour Party (PLP), the youngest political party in St. Kitts and Nevis, held its inaugural National Convention today, Saturday, March 25, at the Tabernacle Recreational Grounds where a new executive was also introduced.
The PLP, launched in June 2013, is one of three political parties that make up the Team Unity Government – the other two being the People’s Action Movement (PAM) of St. Kitts and the Nevis-based Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM).
The historic convention was attended by hundreds of party members and supporters including Deputy Prime Minister, the Honourable Shawn Richards; Senior Minister and Premier of Nevis, the Honourable Vance Amory; other members of the Federal Cabinet, and members of the diplomatic and consular corps.
Following a lively public session, which included performances and speeches by the three leaders of the Team Unity Administration, party members gathered for the private session and voted on the new executive.
Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris was returned as National Party Leader. The Hon. Akilah Byron-Nisbett was elected the new National Deputy Leader.
Other appointments include Warren Thompson as National Chairman; Craig Tuckett returning as National Deputy Chairman; Myrtilla Williams as the new National Secretary; Christophe Greaux as Deputy Secretary; Victor Earle as Treasurer; Claudette Thompson as Deputy Treasurer and Alexis Nisbett as the National Party Organiser.
In his remarks earlier, Dr. Harris said the hosting of the National Convention fell in line with the party’s constitution which “required us to hold the PLP Convention in March, 2017.” The prime minister said all executive members were notified of the convention in February of this year and noted that those who chose not to attend should therefore have no gripe with the decisions made.
The PLP leader added, “They chose not to offer themselves for nomination today. You understand that? They were invited; they knew what was in the document; they knew they were not behaving well; they knew they can’t get the support of the convention, so like cry babies they chose not to offer themselves for nomination and then you hear the madness, ‘well if I choose not to come, if I choose not to participate, if I choose not to propose myself for action and you all move me’ they going to court.”
“Nonetheless, I shall say that we respected their right to choose – their right to choose not to come to the meetings, their right to choose not to offer themselves for nomination. But all we say, having chosen to opt out they should not now stand in the way of the new group of persons inspired and courageous enough to say forward on with the PLP and forward on with Team Unity,” Dr. Harris continued.
Sonia Henry and Tishanna Norford will serve as the Representatives of the Women’s Arm of the Party, while Manasses Huggins and Damien Weekes will serve as the Representatives of the Youth Arm.
Donald Caines and Heston Hamm were elected to serve as National Party Trustees.
