Snakes in Parliament

Commentary by Hermangild Francis 

I listened to the contributions of the parliamentarians and I must say that I was particularly disappointed in the presentation of Stephenson King. This is the first time that I have commented about Steve, but after his presentation I am compelled to comment.

I hold no animosity towards Stephenson King, but as a former colleague in the previous goverment, his statements have shown me that he only loves himself and is not concerned about how the other ministers who serve with him feel.

From the onset of our stint as a government, I quickly recognised that Steve was not interested in anything that the government was involved in. Cabinet meetings are scheduled for Mondays at 10.00am and as such ministers should always leave that time open to be at Cabinet. That was not Steve’s attitude, instead his usual time of attendance was just around lunch time.

We need to remember that there is a seating arrangement in Cabinet with the two deputy leaders seating on the immediate left of the PM, and the Cabinet Secretary on his immediate right. Allen Chastenet allowed Steve to sit to his immediate left thereby giving him the due respect required for a former Prime Minister. The first time Allen left the country, Steve acted PM ahead of Ezekiel and Rigobert the two deputy political leaders at the time. 

In his presentation he distanced himself from the former government, and said everything that he felt was going wrong. Steve attended several meetings of parliament. He never once voiced his concern on the direction that the government was going. He never complained about the disregard for the Constitution and the Standing Orders. Listen to some of his presentations and it can be gleaned that he was supportive of the policies of the previous government especially the international Airport.

From early I recognised that something was not right. I always voiced my concern but I was nevertaken seriously. My training as a police officer informed me that things were not right. Everytime Steve came to Cabinet meetings he had two phones. One placed on the table, and the other in his hand. On a number of occasions before Cabinet even finished making a decision a certain individual got the information and was not shy about making it public.

There was an incident in Cabinet when Spider made a phone call but forgot to turn his phone off. A particular police officer’s name was mentioned in respect to the Impacs report. Spider eventually realised that his phone was on. He put it off, only to get a call from that police officer. He informed Spider that he was aware of his pronouncements about him. You are now able to make your own determination about phones at Cabinet meetings.

There are matters that are not always discussed with all mininters, example, some security issues. I remember Stephenson King being very agitated after seeing the PM meeting with the AG, DPP, COP and the minister. When we returned to the Cabinet room I gave the entire Cabinet an appreciation of the situation with the IMPACS report. Steve was adamant that all ministers should have the full information about what the report contained. The PM told him that this was not possible. He insisted that he wants to know whether his name was involved and to what extent. I told Steve that if there was anything detrimental to him I would have told him. I informed that there was a mention of his connection with a certain well know woman who had been a strong supporter of the UWP. Her travel overseas during Operation Restore Confidence. I told him that this was a personal issue and not subject to litigation. 

I have broken my silence to allow the populace to make an informed decision about the character of Stephenson King. For a man to remain in a government, receive his salary and perks and feel confortable doing that. Steve’s action must never be allowed to reoccur, and if this government is serious about honesty and integrity, they should distance themselves from him.