Category: News

The President of the NDP the Hon. Arnhim Eustace along with the Shadow Minister for Agriculture Hon. Roland “Patel” Matthews and NDP Candidate for North Windward Lauron “Sheara” Baptiste took their message of hope and redemption for the Agriculture Industry to the North Leeward constituency and Community of Fitz Hughes on Thursday evening.

In a presentation and question segment over three hours, the three speakers reiterated the NDP position that Agriculture is central to the nation’s economic recovery. Eustace detailed how income support, which he described as a “salary for banana farmers over six months,” would enable the farmers to focus their efforts on the recovery of their fields while being sure that their commitments to family and home could be met.

The Opposition Leader gave some background on his work in securing the purchase of The Banana business and the 50% share we have in the joint venture with Fyffes in the UK. He emphasized the merger between Fyffes and Chiquita as presenting great opportunities for our farmers to benefit and condemned the government for not exploring to discover and ultimately exploit these opportunities to the benefit of the farmers. Eustace described his effort to negotiate the joint venture which saw him sit as Chairman of the Board of WIBDECO, as one of the most important contributions he has made to the region and the industry. Shadow Minister Matthews focused his presentation on the opportunities that exist in Fishing as well as farming in the community and nationally, and blamed this government for neglect of the farmers and the industry in North Leeward and island wide.

Mr. Baptiste endorsed the views of the other presenters before him and ended the night with a power point presentation which encouraged the listening audience to support the NDP in its bid to lead the nation and pilot the recovery of a “critical and important agriculture and fishing industry.” This was the second of three NDP planned consultations which will target farmers nationally across the agriculture belt of the country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday that Augustus was recalled after the Ministry received “sufficient confirmation” of reports that he was “involved in activities outside the scope of his employment and inimical to the interest of the Consulate General and the Government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines”.

A well-placed source, who requested anonymity, later told I-Witness News that Augustus was recalled reportedly because of his handling of the issuing of some Vincentian passports.

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sen. Camillo Gonsalves, have told I-Witness News that they do not wish to comment on that allegation, saying that the government’s investigations are on-going.

Augustus was appointed a diplomat in May 2011, three months after he resigned as a Seventh Day Adventists pastor.

He did not comment publicly about allegations levelled against him leading up to and following his resignation.

Opposition lawmaker and MP for Central Kingstown, St. Clair Leacock, speaking on the New Democratic Party’s radio station on Wednesday, raised questions about whether the Unity Labour Party government conducted due diligence on Augustus before his appointment.

Leacock said he supports the position that “it is not for us as a people, as individuals, as a country, as a nation, as a political party, to gloat over the misfortune of any individual…

“What we should focus on, though, is how we get to the stage where someone with that — I have to call it disposition, since the view is that it is not a first-time transgressor or offender — how can one with that disposition pass the selection process of a party that prides itself on due diligence?

“How can one get to the point of being well-placed in a country’s foreign service and not be checked out and examined thoroughly and carefully by the principal legislator in the land, the Prime Minister in this case, who says he is first among equals.

“And one therefore has to argue with much justification that the buck really begins and almost end with the Prime Minister, and even moreso than his son (Sen. Camillo Gonsalves), who is now in office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

Leacock said that the foreign affairs ministry is a very important one in any cabinet around the world.

“And one has to go overboard and at great lengths to ensure that the ambassadorial representation is at the highest order,” he said.

Leacock noted that St. Vincent and the Grenadines has no career foreign service, and generally diplomats are appointed from outside the Public Service.

“Some people would argue that what is wrong with this particular appointment is that not for the first time, you have the Prime Minister going into one of the most respected and established church in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and selecting out of the church a person who has been trained to do a different kind of work, whose evangelisation was supposed to be for a different kind of soul — not the political soul, the spiritual soul, and infected, affected and then disaffected that church community,” he said.

He suggested that the country is now being negatively affected “because of what one can only determine to be political expediency, trying to win congregations, trying to manipulate the religious community to send certain signals that there is a oneness here.

“And, clearly, it hasn’t worked out, it hasn’t panned out and someone should pay a price for it. And somebody says that to the extent that this manifests itself as corruption, then the Prime Minister should be made to answer,” Leacock said.

Last July, when asked how Foreign Service personnel are selected, Prime Minister Gonsalves said he considers a person’s “competence”, which, he said, includes “a number of different criteria”.

(Read also: Experienced Foreign Service staff not necessarily good diplomats, PM says)

“You may be in the Foreign Service and you are experienced and you may be able to do the job as permanent secretary, as senior assistant secretary. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you are going to be able to do a job as a diplomat as well,” he said.

Source: http://www.iwnsvg.com/2014/02/13/mp-raises-questions-about-due-diligence-before-appointment-of-recalled-diplomat/

On New Years Eve the NDP leadership including Leader of the Opposition Arnhim Eustace and West Kingstown MP Daniel Cummings along with Senator Vynnette Frederick and NDP’s candidate for North Windward Lauron “Sheara” Baptiste toured The flood affected communities of Fancy Owia Sandy Bay Magum and Overland where they met with the people, delivered drinking water, and listened to the accounts of how persons are managing through water shortages and the trauma of this national disaster.

The Leader and his group met with villagers in Magum whose house roofs were damaged since the passing of Hurricane Tomas, and who received no assistance from government to fix the damage, solely because they do not support the government. Eustace again made the call for the government to ensure that relief gets to those who need it. “I say again to this government that they cannot ignore helping the people who have suffered loss on the basis of who these affected people vote for. This will not be tolerated!”

The obvious damage to roads and bridges presents a challenge to an already cash strapped Government. Villagers expressed their disappointment at the failure of government to remove logs from the forest which were felled by the Forestry division in tree thinning exercises from time to time. The villagers indicated that the government would not allow them to move the trees, and now according to the villagers, these were the same trees that damaged bridges and roads as they came down with the rivers.

The NDP will continue to bring water support to devastated communities as the people struggle to rebuild.

NDP’s  flood  relief  task  force  has  set  up  a  local  bank  account  to  which  persons  can contribute funds in support of the disaster relief efforts. Deposits and transfers can be made to The St. Vincent Co-Operative Bank account.

Well wishers and donors from across the world have indicated their desire to support the efforts of the NDP to bring relief to all persons on the basis of their need. Information
continues to be delivered via email and telephone calls to the NDP Secretariat. Persons wishing to donate may do so using the following banking information:

Money transfer information
For Credit to: First Caribbean International Bank FCIBVCVC For further credit to: St Vincent Cooperative Bank Limited A/C #2390667
For final credit to: SVG Flood Relief Fund
Account # 88556

Contact information
E MAIL email ndpinsvg@gmail.com
Telephone 7844562114 or by
MagicJack 3476921887 (leave a message if you do not receive an answer and the call will be returned to you)
skypeID: ndpinsvg

For making donations via Western Union
Send to: Addison Thomas

The President of the NDP Hon. Arnhim Eustace seemed lost for words, and was moved to tears as he toured the devastated Cane Grove, Buccament and Vermont Communities today Boxing Day. Speaking on Nice Radio after six hours in Central and South Leeward Eustace, lamented the “human suffering,” and “anguish” he witnessed as persons were busy clearing debris, and consoling each other after a freak storm caused rivers to overrun their banks resulting in loss of life and property over what should have been the most “wonderful” time of the year- Christmas day.

The President and Leader of the Opposition extended personal condolences to those persons who lost loved ones, seeing one gentleman who described in brutal detail losing hold of his girlfriend’s hand as the river took them under a bridge in Buccament. The obviously distraught man was taken from the Buccament Secondary School to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital for medical attention. He also spoke with a mother who lost her last eighteen year old daughter and two year old grandchild, describing her strength as she sought to encourage her own neighbors in their communal cleanup effort, as “remarkable.”

Eustace, who was joined on his tour by Area Representative for South Leeward Nigel Stephenson, Candidate for the NDP in Central Leeward Ben Exeter MP for West Kingstown Daniel Cummings, and Senator Vynnette Frederick, will tour the North Leeward Constituency later this week and over the weekend, as soon as roads are formally opened. NDP’s constituency representatives and custodians have been out and about traversing the damaged countryside giving hope to a despairing nation and its people at this time.

This year marks the 16th year that Leader of the New Democratic Party and Opposition Leader Hon. Arnhim Eustace celebrated the Christmas season with an all day event for more than 100 elderly and shut in East Kingstown constituents. This year, the older citizens from the constituency were brought to the NDP headquarters for a day of togetherness, good food, Christmas carols, and entertainment. Others had their lunch and food baskets delivered to their homes.

Many of the persons who enjoy this event every year took the opportunity to dance, and meet with friends and to talk about the times and the politics of the day.

The day began with a mid morning snack for the participants, some of whom arrived with their grandchildren in tow. This was followed by a Christmas luncheon and evening interlude of games, and remarks from the Leader and the participants themselves.

Eustace was in a buoyant mood saying this about the event, “this Christmas celebration started in 1998 and has continued for 16 consecutive years. We look forward every year to bringing our older constituents together for a day out which we all thoroughly enjoy.”

There has been more than one time in our country’s history when we as a people have had to step back, pause and wonder, whether the government lives in the same country as the rest of us.

In our country, it is increasingly difficult for the average person to make their ends meet. Our young people are without jobs, our farmers without their livelihood, tourism on decline, and our healthcare system frightfully inadequate. Our economy continues not to grow, and Crime is on the rise. In the ULP world, according to at least one of the ULP’s parliamentarians, our Economy is the best it has ever been since Independence.

This past week, the Prime Minister rose in Parliament to declare that Parliamentarians as a group are without Health Insurance. He indicated that he will reimburse monies for medical expenses incurred by parliamentarians. Nothing was said about average Vincentians who cannot afford to pay for medical procedures and care, for themselves and their family members. Nothing was said about those who die for want of medication and medical intervention which our hospital lacks the capacity to provide.

What the Prime Minister also failed to say was that his ULP administration refused to implement the National Health Insurance Programme in 2001 which had been developed by an NDP Arnhim Eustace led administration. The programme was ready to be rolled out,

when they came to power thirteen years ago. Every element of preparation was complete and instead, the programme, which would have provided basic health care coverage for all Vincentians, was ignored, scrapped, discarded by the ULP.

To come now in 2014 and promise to reimburse parliamentarians for their medical expenses is a slap in the face of every Vincentian who is without the ability to get basic health insurance coverage, because of the ULP’s willful refusal to implement that programme.

This, at a time when basic drugs are not even regularly available at the hospital; when some tests cannot be performed at our hospital laboratory, forcing those who need them to pay money they don’t have, and in many cases, can’t find, for these services elsewhere.

What do you say to a government that is obviously callous, and remembers only what it wants to, and not what is real? What do you say to a Prime Minister with the audacity to get up in the parliament and make declarations about health care for the few when he did nothing to secure the health of the many? NO WAY PRIME MINISTER NO WAY! The Opposition will not be a party to your wanton disregard for Vincentians and the dismal state of Vincentian healthcare services.

The Chapmans Community Centre came alive last night Thursday Feb 27, 2014 as a packed hall of farmers from across the breadbasket constituencies in St. Vincent and the Grenadines were treated to detailed proposals and ideas on agriculture and how the industry could be revitalized from the New Democratic Party. The audience of farmers who have seen their fortunes reduced over the past thirteen years heard from the Leader of the Opposition Hon. Arnhim Eustace himself a farmer, on how to revitalize the banana industry. He presented a detailed proposal and asked the farmers for their thoughts on the plan which would see the farmers receive subsidy on inputs and income support while they re-invested in banana production. According to Eustace this would see the industry rebound to exports of 40-50 million.

Farmers then heard from NDP’s Shadow Minister on Agriculture MP for North Leeward Hon. Roland “Patel” Matthews who said there is a magnificent opportunity to return the agriculture industry to being one of the major contributors to our nation’s macro economy. Matthews stressed modernization, and the use of technology and encouraging our youth to see agriculture as a viable business, where markets for new commodities can be found, using the infrastructure we already own in the UK to provide new produce to the supermarkets with whom we already do business.

Candidate for North Windward Lauron “Sheara” Baptiste using a PowerPoint presentation echoed the sentiments shared by the other presenters and showed how the North Windward constituency and other farming constituencies could benefit from a vibrant industry. His presentation which culminated with a slide showing people moving towards a safe haven in the NDP was warmly received by all. Candidate for Central Leeward Ben Exeter was on hand, with farmers from his constituency also in attendance; likewise, NDP’s Candidate for Marriaqua Curtis Bowman and South Windward’s Candidate Noel Dickson.

The farmers, in the open forum, took the opportunity to outline the challenges they are facing, and how the state of the economy was making it virtually impossible for them to sustain their livelihood. They continue despair over the situation, and they endorsed the plan to revitalize the banana industry. Many saw the event as a call to arms for farmers to do all in their power to ensure that the NDP gets the opportunity to lead the nation and their industry back to a position of prominence and strength. The NDP will continue its outreach to communities in the weeks and months to come. The Consultation was carried live on Nice Radio and chaired by NDP’s candidate for North Central Windward Kenroy Johnson.