“I plead guilty as CCM dared to stand up for our beloved Nevis,” says Mark Brantley

In campaign he stressed that he always remained committed to the people of Nevis and speak for their rights. He added that they are guilty and being criticized for standing up for their beloved Nevis. 

"I plead guilty as CCM dared to stand up for our beloved Nevis," says Mark Brantley

Nevis: Concerned Citizens Movement, which has Nevis Island Administration launched its campaign for the Federal elections on May 21, 2022. In the campaign, the leaders of the CCM outlined various agendas and their commitment to the people of Nevis. 

In campaign he stressed that he always remained committed to the people of Nevis and speak for their rights. He added that they are guilty and being criticized for standing up for their beloved Nevis. 

Premier of Nevis and the leader of the Concerned Citizens Movement, Mark Brantley, expressed his pleasure after addressing the people of Nevis and holding an interactive session with them. 

He said that the CCM launched its campaign last night for the Federal election. It was a night filled with excitement. The electricity was in the air at CCM Campaign Headquarters. The sea of blue was augmented by a sea of yellow as our PAM brothers and sisters journeyed across to be a part of this moment in our history.

Read Here: Full Statement of Premier Mark Brantley: 

The CCM leadership launched first because we felt it important to show the state of readiness of our Party and the eagerness of our candidates to serve the people of Nevis and the wider Federation.

Alexis Jeffers, Eric Evelyn and I were not recently stripped of our ministerial responsibilities because we did not perform well.

In fact, the record will show that for seven years, I led our country’s foreign diplomacy and did so with excellence. Not only did I take our passport to the number 1 in the entire Caribbean with a vast network of visa-free countries, but I also ensured that St Kitts Nevis nationals seeking visas to the United States were included in the interview exemption so that, if eligible, they no longer have to travel to Barbados. 

I ensured that the Canadian authorities would come to St Kitts and Nevis to collect biometrics for our people seeking Canadian visas, again saving our people the cost and hassle of travel to Trinidad. I led the effort on the Windrush scandal forcing the UK government to the right a terrible wrong meted out to UK based Caribbean people. But most importantly, I repaired relations with close allies, found new allies and ensured that for seven years, our country was not embroiled in any hint of scandal or controversy diplomatically.

In less than two years, Alexis Jeffers started the transformation of Agriculture in St Kitts as he has done in Nevis. The reopening of the Bayford Livestock facility and the introduction of greater emphasis on technology, including shade house technology on both islands, have led to significant strides in agriculture, notwithstanding that his first year as a Federal Minister was during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In less than two years, Eric Evelyn demonstrated his incredible diplomacy and passion for the environment when he bestrode the world stage at COP 26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021. So excellent was his performance that he was invited to speak in Monaco shortly thereafter. A young man from Hanley’s Road is walking the corridors of the world and representing our beloved country.

No!!! The people of Nevis know that Eric Evelyn, Alexis Jeffers and I were guilty of one thing and that one thing was standing up for our beloved Nevis. We dared to stand and say that enough was enough and that the people of Nevis must never be disrespected by any Prime Minister.

We dared to stand up and say that the people of Nevis were full citizens of St Kitts and Nevis and deserved the full fruits of their citizenship. We stood firm that it was unacceptable that from the success of our Citizenship by Investment Programme, the Federal government has kept $5 BILLION while Nevis has received a paltry $400 million. We said it would never be accepted that Basseterre keeps 93% of revenue while Charlestown gets 7%. 

We decreed and declared that Nevis must not continue to scrape and borrow while St Kitts keeps our money and declares surplus after surplus.

And for that, some felt we should be punished because how dare us 3 Nevis boys go to Basseterre and stand up resolute, firm unbreakable and proud? I have heard the whispers, “Who dey think dey be?”. Nevis, we were told, must be satisfied with crumbs because we never used to get anything before. We must know our place and stay quiet. They must be mad!!

Brothers and sisters, if our crime is representing you. If our crime is standing up for you. If our crime is putting the interests of the Nevisian people ahead of our own. If our crime is being PROUD Nevisians, then I plead guilty and say to you that Alexis Jeffers and Eric Evelyn are guilty too.

Soon you the voters, will decide what punishment we should get for our crime of being true Patriots and standing up for this land we love.