Polytricksters Up In Arms Over Free Speech
Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
October 16, 2010 (CUOPM)
An unnamed talk show host has been accused of intensifying his campaign to undermine the Labour Party administration of Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas.
The Labour Spokesman in this week’s editorial noted that the politics of fear was the topic for discussion on a certain radio station here during the course of last week.
“And in keeping with his political agenda, the weekly host of the talk show used the programme to spur on opposition supporters to call in and bash the Honourable Prime Minister and his Government, who every right-thinking citizen of this Federation will agree has been doing a marvellous job to manage the affairs of the country in these turbulent and difficult times,” said the pro-Government newspaper The Labour Spokesman.
In this week’s editorial, the paper said the talk show host “intensified his campaign to undermine the government, joining forces with the PAM Chairman, Sidney Osbourne, who over the past two weekends has been using the same radio station to set the Press on the Prime Minister to help them (PAM) do their dirty work.”
“It is their hope that the Press and the talk shows will assist PAM in its desperate campaign to bring down the lawfully elected popular Labour Government of Prime Minister Douglas ““ having failed dismally to effect the change of government they wanted on Election day (January 21st, 2010) when the people of this country voted overwhelmingly to keep the Labour Party in government for a historic fourth consecutive term,” the paper noted.
The Spokesman said it is time they recognise the indisputable fact that the Labour Party, under the astute leadership of Dr. Denzil Douglas has brought unprecedented freedom, progress and prosperity to the country and nothing they do or say can change that fact. And the people are proud of their government and are grateful for their fruits of Labour which are in abundance; hence their decision to hold on to Labour for five more years.
The Spokesman declared: “Today, this Labour Government, under the statesmanship leadership of Dr. Douglas, has totally freed up the media and the country. We are now free like a bird and we have never had it so good.”
It pointed out that there are now over five (5) newspapers and ten (10) radio stations in the Federation.
“We are now completely free to “˜bang’ our mouth and criticize our government, left, right and centre on the various talk shows. And we now have the freedom to watch whatever television station or programmes we like, when the Prime Minister is making a broadcast to the nation. Something unheard of under the PAM dictatorship of (Dr.) Kennedy Simmonds. Thanks to Dr. Denzil Douglas and Labour!” declared the weekly newspaper.
It pointed out also that in addition, Prime Minister Douglas makes himself available to engage the press regularly (every month), thus affording them the opportunity to ask him any question of national or other concerns.
“Members of the public are also given the opportunity to pose questions to the Prime Minister during his weekly radio programme, “Ask the Prime Minister” aired on some six (6) or seven (7) stations in St. Kitts and Nevis.
And this Labour Government went a step further and introduced, for the very first time in this country, “Face to Face Meetings”, whereby citizens are given the opportunity to field questions to the Prime Minister and his Cabinet Ministers and interact with them, in an open forum ““ in keeping with the government’s unswerving commitment to include the public in the decision making process and also uphold and foster the principles of consultative democracy and open government,” The Spokesman reminded its leadership.
It added: “There is, therefore no match for this proactive, responsive and people-oriented Labour Government whose record in the preservation and strengthening of democracy is phenomenal.”
The Spokesman reminded its wide readership that “PAM have always been sore losers and they will continue to do everything to bad talk the government, destabilize the country and regain power by all and any means.”
“However, the people of this country are no fools. When it comes to the politics of fear and freedom of the press, they dread the dark hellish years (1980-1995) when Kennedy Simmonds and his ruthless fascist regime ruled this country with an iron first. The days when fear stalked the streets as Ministers of Government travelled around with their guns tucked in their waists like cowboys and marshalls, intimidating and terrorizing citizens. The days when they (PAM) distributed guns to their supporters and established criminal gangs in various communities (including Cayon, where there was a Force 10, whose job was to deal with Labour Leaders and their supporters,” said the editorial.
“The citizens of this country also recall those oppressive years when it was a grave sin to criticize Dr. Simmonds and his Ministers and how Labour Leaders and writers of this newspaper, including the current Managing Editor, were harassed and locked up for speaking out,” said The Labour Spokesman.
It emphatically stated that the politics of fear and victimization practised by the People’s Action Movement in government was so vicious and rampant that there was a mass exodus of our people.
“Thousands of Kittitians and Nevisians known and suspected by Kennedy Simmonds and his gang to be Labour supporters were forced to flee the country to escape the wrath and wickedness of the ruthless gang. The people of this country will never ever forget those days also when young PAMites in Cayon were instructed (in the 1980 Elections) to stand outside the homes of their old parents and grandparents with a stick, and not allow them to vote for the Labour Candidate. We all remember the days when the tyrant, Dr. Simmonds, was making a broadcast on the national television station (ZIZ), every other channel on your television set was shut down, giving citizens no choice but to either listen to him or turn off the TV,” The Labour Spokesman reminded its vast readership.
“The so-called opposition, the People’s Action Movement (PAM) led by Lindsay Grant, is no different to the old guard of PAM, which includes the likes of Sidney Osbourne and the key writers of the Democrat, “Watch Dog” and “Straight Talk”. So as we have stated over and over again, nothing has changed in PAM. It’s only a case of the faces have changed, the tactics and philosophy are the same, and their motto remains: “What you can’t control, destroy.”
“The same politics of fear (scare tactics) used by the PAM old guard to hijack the government from Premier Lee Moore in the 1980 General Elections, were the same tactics used by Lindsay Grant and his errand boys in the January25th General Elections, telling people that VAT was coming and that it meant mass starvation, suffering and even death, if the people of this country put back Labour in Government,” said The Spokesman and reminded readers that it was just in January this year that the electorate rejected PAM and all their pie-in-sky promises, including free house and free land.
“And so they are still very hurt and are not letting up in their campaign to bring down the government, despite the growing and overwhelming support of the people for the Prime Minister who they see as their “Moses”. PAM, under the leadership of Lindsay Grant is very disorganised and weak. It is at its lowest ebb as a political party in this country and is not viewed by the vast majority of the electorate as any suitable alternative to the Labour Government.”
“No amount of old talk and bantering on the talk shows by the PAM Chairman, the radio host and other spin-doctors of the party (including the Webster fellow in Old Road) will help to resurrect Lindsay Grant and PAM. The elections are over. It is time they simmer down, leave the good doctor alone and respect the will and wishes of the people of this country, who in the January 25th, 2010 General Elections voted unanimously for the Labour Party and gave the Prime Minister and his team a commanding mandate to govern the affairs of the Federation for five (5) more years,” said The Labour Spokesman.
Its Editorial concluded: “The critics and prophets of gloom and doom will have to sit back and wait until the Prime Minister is ready to ring the bell again whenever he is ready to do so. They must take their blows like big men and women.”