Talk vs Delivery: How the Harris Years Stalled Development and How Drew Restarted It
For seven years under Dr Tim Harris, St Kitts and Nevis was repeatedly told that “transformational development” was coming. Major projects were promised, ground-breakings were celebrated, and public speeches carried the language of progress. Yet in reality, no major delivery ever reached the people.
The most infamous example remains the much-publicised Prison Project, a development repeatedly announced as “fully funded” and “ready to start,” which never broke ground and still stands today as one of the country’s greatest unfulfilled commitments and turned out to be one of major scams in the history of St Kitts and Nevis and the wider Caribbean. Healthcare stalled, with no modernisation of the JNF Hospital, no MRI facility, and no new ambulances or equipment. Despite repeated pledges of improvements in education, no new school was constructed during the Harris era.
Infrastructure also deteriorated. No new sports facilities were built, no major road upgrades were completed, and zero advancement came in cruise tourism or airlift capacity, both of which remained stagnant. Meanwhile, the country struggled with water scarcity, leaving families and communities in repeated crisis.
That development vacuum ended with a change in leadership.
In just three years, Dr Drew’s administration has begun delivering the very areas that were left idle. Water relief has become one of the most visible successes, with the commissioning of the Cayon Well and progress toward a national desalination plant. Education has also seen real movement, with construction underway on a new state-of-the-art Basseterre High School.
Healthcare is being restored and modernised, with a new JNF Hospital in the pipeline, the introduction of an MRI machine, and the deployment of five new ambulances across the Federation. Youth development is no longer a slogan – the ASPIRE Programme is actively creating pathways for training, skills, employment, and innovation.
Infrastructure and community facilities are also finally taking shape. The Kim Collins Stadium and Conaree Playing Field have been upgraded, St Peter’s Road has been completed, and major housing and land handover initiatives are restoring fairness and dignity to homeownership.
The contrast is clear: where the previous administration excelled in announcements, the current one is delivering implementation. Dr Drew has shifted administration style from talk to tangible results from promise to proof.
In a country where progress was once deferred, citizens are now beginning to see development in motion, not in speeches, but on the ground.