BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) – Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris says his government will not allow individuals to “sabotage” the new administration because of party loyalty.

In an address to the nation, Harris, who became prime minister following the February 16 general elections here, said that his government is “aware of individuals who would wish to sabotage the people of this great federation because of their party loyalty. 

“The government of National Unity will not allow anyone to sabotage nor undermine the will of the people.  You the people voted to change the direction of this country and this government will give you the change that you voted for. 

“As a responsible government, we have asked all political appointees of the former administration to do the honourable thing and resign. As a new administration, we must be afforded the opportunity to decide whether we retain those political appointees or change them in the best interest of the people of this country. To date we have taken a number of deliberate actions to have some of them reassigned and some repositioned.”

He promised citizens that the government would complete the senior appointments on statutory boards in due course and the period of transition gives his administration to look at each ministry carefully. 

“We promised not to be a vindictive government.  We will never be.  That being said, we will not allow anyone to undermine and sabotage the people’s duly elected government nor deny the people the prosperity agenda for which they so decisively voted.”

In his address, Harris, an economist, said that the general elections ushered in a democratic and constitutional government and that he had asked the Attorney General “to look into irregularities of the entire 2015 electoral system. 

“We need to know the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of this voting system as a basis for proceeding with true electoral reform.  In addition, I have received confirmation from the Attorney General that certain matters relating to the 2015 electoral system have been referred to the police for investigation.”

He said his National Unity government has been given a clear mandate to govern the twin-island federation for the next five years, adding “after our first 30 days, we can say that it is going to take a strong resolve to get this country on track after 20 years of a government that became accountable to no one.

“We ask for patience as we work diligently on your behalf. The former government had 20 years. We have had only thirty-one days”.

Harris said that his administration has already held talks with the United States and Canada on improving relations and that the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) “will be strengthened, restructured and reorganized to meet the expectations of the people and other partners in the international community.  “We want the world to know that we are open for business. St Kitts and Nevis appreciates that foreign investment is at the core of our economic viability. We are ensuring the long term sustainability of our Citizenship by Investment Program as a win-win program for all the people. 

“In this regard, we request the support and understanding of developers, service providers, agents and all interested parties as we do what’s right for the programme, for our country and for the international community.”

Harris said the government is also committed to alternative energy solutions and has since accepted an offer of several thousand energy saving bulbs from Venezuela free of cost.