At his press conference yesterday, Tuesday, October 3rd, 2017, Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris made what can only be described as a bombshell disclosure: Parliamentarian and Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, Dr. Denzil Douglas holds a diplomatic passport of another country.
Prime Minister Harris also said that, “Dr. Denzil Douglas is a citizen of another country other than St. Kitts and Nevis. Dr. Denzil Douglas promotes the CIP [Citizenship-by-Investment Program] of another country and undermines that of St. Kitts and Nevis. I challenge Dr. Douglas now to confirm the truth or otherwise of the foregoing information to which I have been made privy to and I have shared in the public interest.”
The Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister randomly chose three official websites of foreign governments – www.cic.gc.ca, www.dfat.gov.au and www.uscis.gov – to view their diplomatic passport issuance policies.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (www.cic.gc.ca) states that the Canadian government issues diplomatic passports to diplomats, high-ranking Government of Canada officials, and representatives and delegates of the Government of Canada.
The Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (www.dfat.gov.au) states that, “Diplomatic and Official passports are issued to facilitate the travel of people who are employed by or acting on behalf of the Australian government.”
The Department continues: “Diplomatic and Official passports can be issued only to Australian citizens listed in the ministerial guidelines and whose application form is supported by a letter from the sponsoring authority.”
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (www.uscis.gov) states that, “A diplomatic passport is issued to a Foreign Service officer or to a person having diplomatic status or comparable status because he or she is traveling abroad to carry out diplomatic duties on behalf of the U.S. Government.”
The Prime Minister of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, noted during yesterday’s press conference that, “The possession of a passport by the Leader of the Opposition, other than a St. Kitts and Nevis passport, in my view raises significant questions of a civic, political and constitutional nature.”
Prime Minister Harris added: “In my humble view, the people of St. Kitts and Nevis have a constitutional right to be represented only by people who owe and who appear to owe their undivided loyalty and allegiance to the Federation…The people of St. Kitts and Nevis are entitled to a robust Parliament with all members free to represent their constituencies in the best interest of the Federation, free from external constraints and allegiances.”