BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS – There were reports Thursday that construction has ceased on the multi-million dollar 226-unit Embassy Suites by Holiday Inn project at Pelican Bay, St. Kitts.
Freedom Radio reported that efforts to get information from St Kitts and Nevis Minister of Tourism and other senior officials in the ministry were futile as they were reportedly in meetings and did not return calls.
Former Deputy Prime Minister and former Parliamentary Representative for East Basseterre, Dr. Earl Asim Martin, is of the view that the construction of Embassy Suites by Hilton is under threat and could be facing some challenges.
He told Freedom 106.5 FM that other projects which started under the former Labour Party administration of Prime Minister the Right Hon. Dr Denzil L. Douglas appear to be running into difficulties since the new Dr Timothy Harris-government took office in mid-February of last year.
“We have heard of the T-Loft Resort at Frigate Bay, the challenges at Kittitian Hill and other projects,” said Dr Martin pointing to the possibility of competition in the Citizenship by Investment Programme from other neighbouring islands including Dominica, St Lucia, Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda.
Former Prime Minister and current Leader of the Opposition, the Rt. Hon Dr Denzil L. Douglas has accused Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris of largely destroying the leadership global role of the St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Programme.
Dr. Douglas said his St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party Administration brought the programme from where it was to become a global leader in economic development and that Dr. Harris had deceived the people of St. Kitts and Nevis in the economic and developmental thrust of the twin-island Federation.
While in opposition, Dr. Harris, in criticizing the Citizenship by Investment Programme referred to the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF) component as “a slush fund to help friends and foreign interests” and also accused then Prime Minister Douglas of “selling St. Kitts and Nevis passports like black pudding on a Saturday.”
During the general election campaign leading up to the February 16th General Election, the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party accused the Harris/PAM/CCM coalition then in opposition of using its propaganda online media outlets such as the St Kitts-Nevis Times and Times Caribbean to demonise the programme; orchestrate negative feature articles in the local, regional and international media and also launching massive assault during their two year negative pre-election and election campaign, aimed at crippling the once world leader in the industry.
When Prime Minister Harris took office, his first order of business was to demanded the immediate resignation of senior public officials, ambassadors and directors of Boards, dismissed, sent on long leave or terminated the services of senior public officials and closed the Citizenship by Investment Unit to conduct a review and restructure, sacking or transferring the experienced officers in the Unit with inexperienced persons.
CEO and Global Managing Partner of Henley & Partners, Eric Major had warned that new comers Antigua and Barbuda was in the lead after St. Kitts and Nevis began conducting a review and restructuring of its CIP.
He said Antigua and Barbuda was benefitting by the closure of the St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Unit while the restructuring takes place. “So in the meantime there is less demand for that programme and Antigua is benefitting from that,” said Major.
He also warned that it was important to send the right signals to the international market. Mr. Sebastian Mottram, the British developer, who has built one of the most successful condominium projects under the Citizenship by Investment Programme during the St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party Administration of the Right Hon Dr Denzil Douglas had also warned Prime Minister Harris that the slow pace of the changes under his restructuring programme would result in its inability to recapture the market it has lost to several countries including Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica.
Mr. Mottram lamented that while Prime Minister Harris is spending time putting its house in order “our competitors are stealing the march and creeping into the market.” “It is a matter of time. Time will tell. For me, we are at the tail end of the market,” he admitted at the time.