NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (March 05, 2013) — Premier of Nevis and Minister responsible for Security in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) Hon. Vance Amory issued an impassioned plea to persons on Nevis reminding them that they all had an important part to play in the preservation of the island’s integrity.

Mr. Amory’s appeal came in a television and radio broadcast on March 05, 2013, on the heels of a shooting incident on the evening of Friday March 01, 2013, when three gunshots were fired at the offices of Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Housing and Senior Minister who is responsible for Communications and Works the Hon. Alexis Jeffers in Charlestown. At the time of the incident the Minister was in the building but not in his office and escaped injury.

“It is a very sad moment for me to speak on this matter… I think all of us in this country are very distressed by that act. I am calling today on every single citizen in this country to recognise that we have a very important role to play in preserving the integrity of our country and to stamp out crime and violence, especially crimes which are calculated to do harm, bodily harm. Crimes which are using weapons which we know are not manufactured here in this country,” he said.

Mr. Amory cautioned that persons should not allow themselves to be enticed into becoming part of the illicit gun trade and criminality through the use of guns or any other form of weaponry.

He further explained that as he looked at the crime scene it was clear that the perpetrator appeared to have wanted to create hurt or a scare and further made a special appeal to the island’s youths, urging them not to allow themselves to be incited into criminal activity.

The Security Minister said he was aware that persons had tried to indicate that his Government’s action to remove persons from its payroll who had been engaged in extraneous work and received expensive remuneration, a burden on the taxpayers, made it appear that that action caused some people harm but that was not the case.

“This is not the truth. When we look at the action which the Government has taken, it is in fact to create a balance in our expenditure so that the people of this country do not continue to support the practice of nepotism and favouritism, where people have been given remuneration when they really are not doing any work.

“I ask all of you to look at the persons who have had to be removed from the payroll, look at the actions of these persons over the years, look at the non- productivity and see that your government is in fact taking action to preserve this country from sinking further into debt,” he said.

Mr. Amory added that the Government’s action would also seek to ensure that by freeing the Treasury from serious claims by persons who were only employed for political reasons, meant that the citizens of Nevis would benefit from those savings because of the services that could be made available to them in the absence of unnecessary expenditure which had caused a burden on the Treasury.