“Brantley has been a dismal failure in government,” says Minister Nisbett

Charlestown, Nevis — St. Kitts-Nevis Minister of Foreign Affairs, Legal, Labour, National Security, and the Federal representative for Constituency#11, the Hon. Patrice Nisbett told listeners to the popular morning radio show, Good Morning St. Kitts- Nevis on Freedom FM on Tuesday, that deputy premier of Nevis, the Hon. Mark Brantley has been a “dismal failure in government”. Nisbett said that despite “all his talk” Brantley had failed the people of Nevis with poor governance policies, including: promises of mortgage reduction to homeowners, wanton victimization of government employees, and the total lack of economic development in Nevis.

Nisbett told host, Mr. Maurice “EK” Flanders that the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM)-led Administration of which the Hon. Mark Brantley is a member, should choose policies that will advance his island home.  He also advised that, “one cannot run the country through Facebook”, a direct jibe on Brantley who is known to spend countless hours of working time on the social media.

During the interview, Mr. Nisbett took serious issue with the Deputy Premier, Hon. Mark Brantley, who told the residents of Cherry Gardens Housing Community during the last campaign, that his CCM Administration would reduce mortgage payments.  “Mr. Brantley has told the residents of Cherry Gardens that he would be able to lower their mortgage payments, and told the general public that the CCM would abolish the fuel surcharge on electricity when they got into government, but what did he do?  He did nothing to alleviate the mortgage payments, recently the CCM said they have reduced the fuel surcharge but the surcharge is still there,” stated Hon. Nisbett.

The Minister also discussed the insensitive mass firings in Nevis where close to 200 government employees who are mostly if not all, known NRP supporters were either unceremoniously sent home or otherwise victimized.

“Once you look green you will go straight through the door in Nevis under the CCM”.

Crime has been a major issue in Nevis since the CCM-led Administration took the reins of government in January 2013, including multiple incidents in the past few days.  According to police reports, while crime in St. Kitts has lowered, crime in Nevis has escalated with numerous robberies, shootings and murders.

Nisbett spoke to the issue of crime by noting how previously when Hon. Mark Brantley spoke on crime as an Opposition member, Brantley claimed to have all the answers for crime issues in the Federation.  Minister Nisbett put the escalation in crime squarely at the feet of a general sense of lawlessness, joblessness and hopelessness which has overtaken the country, with the Sherriff (Brantley) being unable to rein it in.

Former Youth Minister, the Hon. Hensley Daniel had used multiple approaches to keep crime down in an NRP Administration, including skills training, job creation and youth empowerment.

“He (Mark Brantley) used to come to the National Assembly, budget after budget, and say that he have all the answers to crime in the country.  Where are the solutions to crime now,” asked Hon Nisbett.

According to Minister Nisbett, the CCM claimed they had investors just out there waiting for CCM to get in government so that the investors can invest in Nevis.

Now Premier, Hon. Vance Amory said prior to the January 2013 local elections: “We also want through our encouragement of investment and investors to create in the first 1 ½ years, 500 jobs in this country. One, through new development projects which will employ people for construction initially. But because these programs or projects will be income and employment generating, we will have continuous jobs so that people don’t have to be scratching their heads when their children leave school to find a job in this country.”

The reality in Nevis presently is that Nevisians are still waiting for the job creation idea to become a reality.

While discussing the lack of achievements in private sector investment and job creation by Hon. Mark Brantley and the CCM, Mr. Nisbett concluded,   “Well where are those investors?  Where are the jobs or development projects for Nevis? No jobs have been brought to Nevis except for the St. Kitts- Nevis Labour Party-led Government’s creation of the People Empowerment Program (PEP), which Brantley continues to fight down.  The CCM-led Administration has not created any jobs since coming to government 16 months ago.  So is Mark Brantley doing a good job with the state of Affairs in Nevis?  No, he is not doing a good job and I have to say that he has been a dismal failure!”