BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, May 2, 2019 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Members of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party and a miniscule group of supporters today, Thursday, May 2, again demonstrated their stance against progress and development in the country through the staging of a baseless protest against the construction of a brand new ultra-modern Basseterre High School (BHS) at Ponds Estate.
The protest was staged at the historic unveiling ceremony of the 3D model of the state-of-the-art Basseterre High School, which was attended by hundreds representing a wide-cross section of society including Cabinet ministers and other senior government officials, as well as present and past teachers and students of BHS.
The poorly attended protest was made up mostly by SKNLP candidates. Notably absent was Opposition Leader Dr. Denzil Douglas.
Those who attended to witness the historic event paid little to no attention to the small group of protesters as it remained glued to the presentations from the Parliamentary Representative for Constituency One, the Honourable Ian Patches Liburd; Minister of Education, the Honourable Shawn Richards, and Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris. The audience was also entertained by the soulful musical selection from the BHS Symphonic Band.
While delivering the featured address at the ceremony, Prime Minister Harris said he found it difficult in understanding why anyone would stand in the way of the nation’s children receiving the best quality education possible.
“None must ever deny our young people their opportunity for progress. None must ever protest against that which is good, decent and in order for the people of St. Kitts and Nevis,” Dr. Harris said to thunderous rounds of applause from those in attendance.
Prime Minister Harris stated that the realization of the new BHS, which was one of the major promises made by the Team Unity coalition in the build-up to the 2015 general elections, will allow the next generation of leaders an opportunity to excel.
“How could anyone, anyone with a sane mind, anyone with a patriotic mind, stand as a stumbling block to the progress of thousands of young people who will pass through the doors of the Basseterre High School?” the honourable prime minister questioned.
Over the last several years, the Team Unity Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has taken the necessary precautionary steps and measures to ensure the environment on which the new Basseterre High School will be built will remain safe.
This included the formation of several working committees to spearhead the preliminary task in the process of constructing the new BHS. One such committee was the St. Kitts-Nevis Water Experts Working Group, which was assigned the task of selecting the site on which to build the new school.
This was done to ensure that the health and well-being of the students and teachers of BHS as well as the preservation of the watersheds, aquifer, water quality and yield are not compromised as a result of this decision.
