Leader of the main opposition St. Kitts/Nevis Labor Party (SKNLP), Dr. Denzil Douglas, has called on Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris to move with haste and give urgent assistance to the Government and People of Dominica in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Maria.
Spoke with PM Skerrit
“I just spoke with Prime Minister Skerrit who was in Antigua and conveyed to him, his family and all the citizens of his beautiful country, the sincere condolences of the Parliamentary Opposition, the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party and the good people of St. Kitts and Nevis more generally. I expressed solidarity with the government and people of Dominica at this time of severe disaster and pledged to do all within our power and as timely as possible to mobilize relief,” Douglas said in a statement.
Desperate appeal
“I am making a desperate appeal to the Team Unity Government led by Dr. Timothy Harris to reach out to the Government and People of the Commonwealth of Dominica who were dealt an enormous blow by Hurricane Maria.”
Douglas said the cries of those who lost their homes and are exposed to the vagaries of further misfortune ring out to all throughout the Caribbean Region.
“Our own damage pales with those of our sister island of Dominica. While we are presently preoccupied with the post-hurricane clean-up, let us as a country and people not lose sight of our humanitarian obligation to that island in distress. g therefore call on the government of St Kitts and Nevis to collaborate with the island of Antigua from which critical relief supplies can be coordinated at this time.
Response must be multipronged
“Our response in the midst of these natural disaster must be multi-pronged. While we attend to our national priorities, it is no doubt fitting that in the spirit of regional cooperation and brotherhood, we draw on all available opportunities to bring much-needed relief to Dominica as well as leverage our own influence with the international community to generate the assistance required to contribute significantly to the reconstruction process in that country.”
He said the Government “must demonstrate its compassion, and its capability and willingness to respond in cooperation with Antigua & Barbuda or any other member state of the OECS at this time of need for Dominica.
