Simeon Daniel
Simeon Daniel was born on 22nd August, 1934 at Barnes Ghaut Village in St. Thomas’ Parish, Nevis, West Indies to Joseph Daniel and Melvina Daniel, nee Archer. He received his early education at St. Thomas’ Government Elementary School. He entered the teaching profession as a Pupil Teacher in 1950 and attained the Leeward Island Teachers’ Certificate in 1957.
Simeon Daniel began his legal tutorial at the Council of Legal Education School of Law in 1962. While still a student (1960-1966) he worked as a clerk at the London County Council and later as an Executive Officer, and in 1965 received a recognition grant for outstanding meritorious work from the said Institution. He continued his education at the Inner Temple of the Inns of Court in London. In 1966 he became Barrister at Law and was called to the Bar in England.
He returned to Nevis in 1966 and served as Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs and was admitted to the Local Bar that same year. The following year he was appointed Crown Counsel and later Registrar of the Supreme Court and Additional Magistrate in the State. He entered Private practice in 1969. Mr. Simeon Daniel was among the founding members of the Nevis Reformation Party in 1970. He served as Chairman of the Local Council from 1972 to 1980 and was elected to the National Assembly in May 1975 and February 1980.
Following the formation of the historic Coalition Government of the People’s Action Movement and the Nevis Reformation Party, Mr. Simeon Daniel assumed the Honourable Port Folios of Minister of Finance and Nevis Affairs on February 19th, 1980. Nevis’ first Premier the Hon Dr. Simeon Daniel, who was the architect of the clause in the Constitution that allows independence for Nevis, Section 113, is saying that persons opposed to the island’s independence are ungrateful.
113.- (1) The Nevis Island Legislature may provide that the island of Nevis shall cease to be federated with the island of Saint Christopher and accordingly that this Constitution shall no longer have effect in the island of Nevis.
(2) A bill for the purposes of subsection (1) shall not be regarded as being passed by the Assembly unless on its final reading the bill is supported by the votes of not less than two-thirds of all the elected member of the Assembly and such a bill shall not be submitted to the Governor-General for his assent unless-
a) there has been an interval of not less than ninety days between the introduction of the bill in the Assembly and the beginning of the proceedings in the Assembly on the second reading of the bill,
b) after it has been passed by the Assembly, the bill has been approved in a referendum held in the island of Nevis by not less than two-thirds of all the votes validly cast on that referendum; and
c) full and detailed proposal for the future constitution of the island of Nevis (whether as a separate states or as part of or in association with some other country) have been laid before the Assembly for at least six months before the holding of the referendum and those proposals, with adequate explanations of their significance, have been made available to the persons entitled to vote on the referendum at least ninety days before the holding of the referendum.
(3) Every person who, at the time when the referendum is held, would be entitled to vote at elections of representatives held in the island of Nevis shall be entitled to vote on a referendum held for the purposes of this section in accordance with such procedure as may be prescribed by the Nevis Island Legislature for the purpose of the referendum and no other person shall be entitled so to vote.
(4) In any referendum for the purposes of this section the votes shall be given by ballot in such manner as not to disclose how any particular person votes.
(5) The conduct of any referendum for the purposes of this section shall be the responsibility of the Supervisor of Elections and the Provisions of subsection (4), (5) and (7) of section 34 shall apply in relation to the exercise by the Supervisor of Elections or by any other officer of his function with respect to a referendum as they apply in relation to the exercise of his functions with respect to elections of Representatives.
(6) There shall be such provisions as may be made by the Nevis Island Legislature to enable independent and impartial persons nominated by an international authority to observe the conduct of a referendum for the purposes of this section and to make reports on the conduct or results of the referendum to the Governor-General, who shall cause any such reports to be published, and for that purpose any such persons shall be accorded such powers, privileges and immunities as may be prescribed by or under any a law enacted by Parliament or, subject thereto, by or under any law enacted by the Nevis Island Legislature.
(7) A bill for the purposes of subsection (1) shall not be submitted to the Governor-General for his assent unless it is accompanied by a certificate under the hand of the president of the Assembly that the provisions of subsection (2) have been complied with and a certificate under that hand of the Supervisor of Elections stating the results of the referendum.
(8) The certificate of the president of the Assembly under this subsection shall be conclusive that the provision of subsection (2) have been complied with and shall not be enquired into in any court of law.
He was a founding member of NRP, which won the first elections in 1983 on Nevis and formed a coalition government with the St. Kitts-based People Action Movement (PAM). “The founding members of the Nevis Reformation Party fought with all their might to get Nevis where it is today,” said Dr. Daniel who added that when they started, they had nothing. He lamented: “For the new NRP to saying that Nevis cannot go it alone: Nevis cannot be independent is a slap in the face for the hard work and the sacrifices that our fathers and forefathers and old founders of the NRP have made. It is ungratefulness, but as I have said, and as the Good Book say, ungratefulness does not pay, and the sins will visit the children and their children’s children up to the fourth generation.”
The first premier, who supported the first bid for secession in 1998, even though he had retired from active politics, cautioned the people of Nevis to learn from history, and be wary of advances that are being put forward by those in St. Kitts. He recalled the days when, even though they were in coalition with PAM, the St. Kitts government would allow salary cheques for civil servants in Nevis to bounce. He said that the Government in St. Kitts had 80 percent ownership of the bank and “I was the one who passed a resolution in the house of assembly for the government to get 80% control of the bank and when we sent down our cheques, they were told ‘we can’t pay civil servants this month’, or ‘we can’t pay this week’.
Dr. Daniel posed: “So you want to tell me that who have gone through all these things must still trust them? We must still trust them and a leopard does not change it skin? “It may pretend and what is happening right now is that the population in Nevis is being lured into a false sense of security, but when the time comes and they are ready to put pressure on us, they will say, “you remember when you were trying to get away; you remember when you wanted to become independent? We must not forget because they do not forget.” Unlike the people of Anguilla who used force in 1967 to stay out of the St. Kitts –Nevis – Anguilla statehood, he advised that Nevisians are able to use the Constitution. “We hope we never have to do that (used of force), because we now have the opportunity to get our freedom, our independence by the stroke of a pen,” advised Dr. Daniel. He pointed out that those who have benefited from the efforts of the old NRP are now turning their backs on what they fought for and said “then I say this is ungratefulness and they will pay for it, maybe not right now but they will pay for it. God’s work for sure. It takes time, but it is sure.”