Lindsay Grant – People’s Action Movement
Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
PAM Secretariat
January 12, 2010
Intelligence sources within the main opposition political party in St. Kitts & Nevis have exposed a plot approved by the country’s ruling Labour Party leaders and said to be concocted by some of their operatives, as part of their smear campaign, leading up to national elections scheduled for January 25th.
The plot came to light on Sunday evening, (10th January), after it was revealed by leader of the Peoples Action Movement, Mr. Lindsay Grant during a massive rally held in the western town of Sandy Point. In trying to carry-out the plot, the Labour Party sourced one of its foreign agents to pose as an investor in a deliberate and desperate attempt to discredit the People’s Action Movement, said Grant.
Outlining details of the plot, Grant said that Minister Skerritt along with Minister Carty and Prime Minister Douglas should resign over any role they played in the attempt to smear the name of the opposition party.
In a 45 minute presentation last Sunday, Grant carefully outlined how the Labour Party’s plot was to unfold.
He said that a few weeks ago, his intelligence officers had informed him of what Labour was planning and after an extensive investigation, the key players and details started to emerge. He said that the advisors of the ruling Labour Party had informed the Prime Minister that their chances of winning the next elections remain a daunting task, and the only way to gain the advantage, would be to create a scandal with the hope of hurting the opposition politicians.
“We discovered that they were going to use one of their white agents, a man by the name of Graham Wills from London, England, who was instructed to contact me and request a meeting to discuss his faked company’s plans to invest in St Kitts and Nevis,” Grant said.
Grant said that his intelligence team then decided to conduct an investigation on Wills after he made the request for the meeting. During that process of research a number of troubling facts emerged, including that Wills had already arrived in St Kitts and was staying at the Marriott Hotel in room number 111. It also revealed that he had previously been in the island back in 2007, arriving on a flight from Antigua.
Further investigations discovered in advance of the planned discussions with Mr. Wills, that the room in which he wanted to host the meeting, was registered to and paid for by the Office of the Prime Minister of St. Kitts & Nevis, Dr. Denzil Douglas.
At this point we gained further evidence that proved without a doubt that this was a plot by the Labour Party, to engage in a very sinister plan, so my security team and advisors engaged in long discussions to determine what our course of action should be.
Finally they decided that it was imperative that we discover exactly what the Prime Minister and his gang of misleaders were up to and the depth and extent of the plot. Thus the meeting went ahead.
It was also decided that as Political leader that I will go alone,” Grant said. He noted that his intelligence team ensured that he went prepared and that adequate security was also put in place and surveillance measures implemented for his protection.
He declared that what played out during the meeting was exactly what his intelligence team had advised him about. Grant said that during the meeting Wills told him that his investment group wanted some 200 acres of land at Brotherson area and they were prepared to pay some 20,000.00 per acre.
Grant noted that he immediately informed Wills that the policy of the party is not to sell such large plots of land but rather to lease it to investors and that he, as an opposition leader was not in a position to make such commitments.
Mr. Wills eased Mr. Grant’s curiosity when he told the opposition politician that he was approaching his party because all of the research done by his English company and partners indicated that there will be a change of government and they simply want to get their project known, as soon as possible, to the party that seemed likely to win the elections.
Mr. Grant informed Mr. Wills that his requested price for the land would not be at such low level but in any case, any large investor who wants to have concessions would have to help offset such accommodation by significantly contributing to the country’s social development, so that it could keep a-pace with economic advancement. Such assistance would include support for the ailing health sector through the donation of equipment, medicines and other much needed supplies.
Grant said that as he listened to the Labour Party operative, trying to sound like a genuine investor, Mr. Wills then asked if his company could make a contribution to the PAM campaign and if so what amount would be required? Grant asked him what level of contribution his company was hoping to donate. To this, Wills said 1.5 million dollars so Grant tested him by saying why not 1.7 instead. Campaign donations are currently legal in the federation.
Mr. Grant said that Mr. Wills’ next move as directed by the Labour Party, was to then ask if a personal contribution would also be permitted. Grant totally rebuffed him, repeatedly telling him no way, I am a man of integrity and I have long advocated, as one of the pillars of our campaign, the need for greater accountability and integrity in public life.
Grant indicated to Wills that his party, if elected, intends to immediately pass legislation to establish the Public Integrity Act in an effort to stamp out corrupt practices while policing ministers so as to ensure that they remain accountable to the public.
Grant has also been pushing a campaign of what he calls, the Three Cs- Crime, Cost of Living and Corruption.
“Mr. Wills informed me that he was going to get back to me by 10.00 am the following day, Monday 11th January, as he needed to contact the rest of his partners in England to discuss the issue,” said Grant.
Grant said that Wills left the meeting thinking that he would again meet the following day, but instead Grant said he went straight into his Party’s political meeting a few hours after and exposed the plot that the Labour party was attempting. In his address to the large crowd on Sunday, Grant shared all information, leaving out no details. The opposition had arranged for their meeting to be carried live via radio and the internet to ensure that as many people were made aware of the plot.
By Monday 11th January, it was discovered that after the stunning revelations made by Grant on Sunday evening, the Labour Party hurriedly placed Mr. Wills on the next flight out of the country, recognizing that the plot had failed and that the public now had details about his involvement.
Grant has been the only politician in St Kitts and Nevis who has put his assets and liabilities on the table for the entire public to scrutinize. Grant also told Wills that his mother has always said to him that he should always take a little and live long.
Grant pointed out that his intelligence team had also indicated to him that Minister Carty and Skerritt along with Lincoln Maynard and Charlie Jong had met with Wills before 8 am that same Sunday morning, no doubt finalizing their plot.
The opposition leader reminded Kittitians that it was only a few weeks ago, that Labour had some of its agents trying to tape the private and confidential conversations of the PAM legal team that was preparing their case in the much publicized INJUNCTION matter that prevented the Prime Minister and his government from their attempts to illegally change the electoral boundaries, the same day that they hoped to dissolve the parliament and announce elections.
Grant also recounted the tales of Labour’s past indiscretions when they bugged the telephones of politicians from the Peoples Action Movement.
The opposition party leader warned listeners while live on radio on Tuesday morning, that the Prime Minister and his outgoing Cabinet members would do anything to try to hold on to power, but that they must realize that the people have been telling them that their time is up and that a new day of change is dawning.
Grant has reiterated his call for the establishment of Campaign Financing Laws so as to police how and to what extent parties can and will accept funding from individuals and companies.