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THE PRIVATIZATION OF HEWANORRA

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The St Lucia Air and Seaports Authority has signaled an intent to pursue the privatization of Hewanorra International Airport. The International Finance Corporation which is part of the World Bank Group has been engaged in a contract for $ 1,694,276 USD to assist the Government of Saint Lucia (GoSL) in implementing a Public Private Partnership (PPP) transaction in the airport sector with the purpose of increasing capacity and improving operation efficiency. The assistance of IFC covers all project pre-investment activities including diagnostic review, transaction structuring and marketing, development of bid/tender documents and PPP contract, as well as support to SLASPA and Ministry of Finance during the bidding process and signing of the PPP contract. The future of our airports has been discussed extensively at the Cabinet level and within Parliament over the last seven years. It...

REINVENTING GOVERNMENT WITH COMMON SENSE

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‘It appeared to be the way of all succeeding government to pull down what has been conceived by a previous government rightly or wrongly’’ – Sir George F. L. Charles The above words of Sir George F. L. Charles were in response to a decision by a UWP Administration in 1965, almost 50 yrs ago, to cancel the lease prepared by Donald James to the C.A. T. Corporation for the development of lands in Vieux Fort. The C.A.T. Corporation was a locally registered company with provisions for St. Lucians to purchase shares in the investment and was headed by an American businessman called Bill Turner. An Agreement was signed by the then Labour Government ( 1961) for the development of certain areas of Vieux Fort previously occupied by the Americans, within a specified time. Sir George correctly placed the caveat of rightly or wrongly, and in the absence of all the information placed before then...

DOING BUSINESS REPORT – THE MYTH

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‘It appeared to be the way of all succeeding government to pull down what has been conceived by a previous government rightly or wrongly’’ – Sir George F. L. Charles The above words of Sir George F. L. Charles were in response to a decision by a UWP Administration in 1965, almost 50 yrs ago, to cancel the lease prepared by Donald James to the C.A. T. Corporation for the development of lands in Vieux Fort. The C.A.T. Corporation was a locally registered company with provisions for St. Lucians to purchase shares in the investment and was headed by an American businessman called Bill Turner. An Agreement was signed by the then Labour Government ( 1961) for the development of certain areas of Vieux Fort previously occupied by the Americans, within a specified time. Sir George correctly placed the caveat of rightly or wrongly, and in the absence of all the information placed before then...

GROS ISLET HIGHWAY – WHAT NEXT?

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I entered the University of the West Indies – St Augustine in 1980 as a young 18 year old. 1980 was a very turbulent period in the history of Trinidad and Tobago with marches in the capital city almost a daily occurrence. The St Augustine Campus was not spared the turbulence and the coup in Grenada in 1979 and Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment had activated the then ‘I – Room’ as the crucible for debate on politics and economics. Despite my very conservative upbringing, the environment influenced my thought processes. I marched around campus, I joined a movement to stop the then PNM Government from continuing the building of a Race track that had swimming pools for horses. I also was impressed by a young lecturer named Raymond Charles, who sparked an interest in the field of Transportation Engineering. I recall using the blackboards of the Faculty of Engineering to vividly express my...

LEONARD ST HILL – AHEAD OF HIS TIME

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A good friend of mine sent me a document he found while doing some cleaning of his archives, it was a book written by Mr. Leonard St. Hill entitled MANIFESTO ONE  THE LAND written in 1972, and speaking about his exploits in St Lucia over a period of years ending in 1970. We are talking about forty four (44) years ago. I was amazed at the depth of thought in the development of the various proposals and must say he should be given St Lucia’s highest honour for his outstanding contribution to the development of St. Lucia. He stands tall as a true genius. At the end of the book, Mr. St Hill gives a history of his education and of significance is his training in Civil Engineering, and I then understood why such salient and critical recommendations were generated. Unfortunately engineers still do not get the respect due, Manuel Pelligrini  is more known for his exploits as a coach of...

THE RETREAT OF CANADIAN BANKS

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Recently, Bank of Nova Scotia announced that they will be shutting down 120 branches largely in Mexico and the Caribbean in a bid to save CAN $ 120 million annually. In the Caribbean, the plan is to close 35 branches out of the 200 branches and sever 1,500 full time employees. This represents a shrinkage of about 17.5 %, a significant retreat from the Caribbean. It should be noted that this is not the first time, this has happened in St Lucia. There is an interesting quote in Sir George F. L. Charles’ book – The History of the Labour Movement in St Lucia 1945 – 1974 in which he says: “ The Banana industry was in the pinnacle of this momentum and the sunlight of hope was to be seen on the faces of large and small farmers, merchants, civil servants, teachers, fishermen, market vendors, speculators and workers…. The Royal Bank of Canada which closed its doors to St Lucia during the years...

THE RECALCITRANT MINORITY

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‘’The ordinary politician has a very low estimate of human nature. In his daily life he comes into contact chiefly with persons who want to get something or to avoid something. Beyond this circle of seekers after privileges, individuals and organized minorities, he is aware of the large unorganized, indifferent mass of citizens who ask nothing in particular and rarely complain. The politician comes after a while to think that the art of politics is to satisfy the seekers after favours and to mollify the inchoate mass with noble sentiments and patriotic phrases’’ …… Walter Lippman The quotation is as relevant in the North American Democracy as it is in the Caribbean context. One has to decide whether to be a recalcitrant minority and be part of the circle of seekers or to rise into the inchoate mass, making declaratory pronouncement of one’s patriotism. Can small island states survive...

SIR GEORGE F.L. CHARLES – TI HACHE?

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Several years ago I bought a book written by George F.L. Charles entitled – The History of the Labour Movement in St. Lucia 1945-1974. I have probably read this book over twenty times since the purchase, as it gives so much insight into life in St Lucia in that period but more so it provides a profound explanation of the socio-political machinations of our country. I can say that Sir George F.L. Charles was no ‘small axe’, he was a giant, whose efforts in  pushing for better working conditions and the end to political isolation of the masses must be forever hailed as gallant. It is unimaginable that a mere  seventy years ago, men were working for one shilling per day and women earned  10 ½ pence. The work period was a twelve hour day including Sundays. There were  no rights to overtime and children as young as 8 yrs were forced into the fields just to help their parents complete a...

BRIDGES BRIDGES BRIDGES

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The Government of St Lucia has pursued an extensive programme of bridge construction one that is unprecedented in the history of St. Lucia. The Minister of Infrastructure has rightfully determined that these bridges are part of the critical infrastructure of St Lucia and any disruption would have serious effect on the country. In my interface with the Minister, he has always readily admitted that he is not an engineer and always respects the view of his Technical Advisors. His role is the establishment of policy and the technical staff is to ensure that there is prudent use of funds in the execution of the policy. My view is that the Minister has pursued a very sound policy of moving the critical infrastructure we call bridges to a state of resilience. The loss of a bridge crossing can have a serious impact on the transportation network causing significant dislocation within...

IS SIR DWIGHT VENNER RIGHT ?

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“This crisis and its aftermath give us the opportunity to chart a new course which will ensure an increased standard of living and quality of life for our citizens if we chart a strategic and focused path to our goals”. These are the words of Sir Dwight Venner speaking recently at a National Consultation on the Economy in St Kitts. It is reported that Sir Dwight  went on to describe the core issues for OECS states  as follows a.  achieving sustainable growth over an extended period of time  achieve a doubling of per capita incomes by the year 2030 the reduction of unemployment to below four per cent substantial reduction and possible eradication of poverty improvement in the Human Development Indices of the United Nations attaining and surpassing the Millennium Development Goals a diversified and competitive economy. He further stated that “this will require a growth rate of three per...

ST JUDE’S WE CRY FOR YOU

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IS THE IMF SATAN?

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The politicians of the Caribbean have created a fascinating imagery of the International Monetary Fund as the organizational embodiment of Satan, the great serpent hiding in the dark to bite small island states. The reason in part for this portrayal is wrapped into whether the IMF is seen as a lending institution or an adjustment institution. When weak leadership and governance produces results that require the IMF to function as an adjustment institution then the blame sharing, the characterization becomes more pronounced. The IMF has a membership of 188 members of which all the OECS states are part of. The core activities of the IMF are as follows: The IMF supports its membership by providing policy advice to governments and central banks based on analysis of economic trends and cross-country experiences; research, statistics, forecasts, and analysis based on tracking of global,...

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO’S POLITICAL TIMEBOMB

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In January 1757 on the island of Nevis, a baby boy was born out of a adulterous affair of a French woman and a Scottish man, that little boy spent his first 11 yrs of life in the Caribbean in an impoverished state. However, the Caribbean experience would shape his thinking forever. The baby boy was Alexander Hamilton credited as one of the fathers of the Constitution of the United States with James Madison. The association with Hamilton shaped the thinking of James Madison who later told the US Congress: “First. That there be prefixed to the Constitution a declaration, that all power is originally vested in, and consequently derived from, the people.   That Government is instituted and ought to be exercised for the benefit of the people; which consists in the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the right of acquiring and using property, and generally of pursuing and obtaining...

CAN AGRICULTURE SAVE OUR ECONOMY?

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A few weeks ago I read an article by Dr. Clyde Mascoll, a Barbadian economist, which really startled me. The following is the quote from the article in which he spoke about the agricultural sector of Barbados: ‘’On the other hand, the fact that the tourism sector accounts for about 60 per cent of imported vegetables suggests that there may be some opportunity to forge greater linkages between the sector and non-sugar agriculture. This observation is naïve if it does not take into consideration the non-price factors that influence the demand for vegetables in the tourism sector. These factors appear more important, which may very well explain the reliance on imports in spite of the high tariffs that are applied to vegetables being sourced from non-CARICOM countries during the local growing season. The common external tariff and other duty charges, which amount to 110 per cent duty, do...

CASTRIES, CASTRIES – WHO SHALL SAVE YOU?

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Former Prime Minister Sir John Compton, in the swearing- in ceremony of the last administration he led, indicated that a “girdle of slums which surrounds our city is a veritable incubator for crime that threatens our daily lives.” He went on to inform the nation that The Ministry of Housing, Urban Renewal and Local Government had been given the challenge “to tackle the problem with determination and imagination”.  Seven years after his death, his desire for that change has not occurred. As a La Tocian ( resident of La Toc), I drive from to Castries with great sadness as I look at how a strip of land from Tapion to Manoel Street has been left in total decay. SLASPA has virtually abandoned their responsibility. Yet this is the entrance to Castries, our capital. When Sir John shared his thoughts seven years ago, as a former Chief Engineer who had worked with him, I felt led to put...