It was a bitter-sweet moment for most of the fishermen in Choiseul last week. “Why did we have to wait so long?”, asked a fisherman.
Finally! . . . and after months of hardship and suffering, the insensitive district representative claims he has come to the rescue of the Choiseul fishermen. It is usually difficult to believe anything which Bousquet says, but assuming he spoke the truth, the question is: did he deliberately punish the fishermen, among whom he has lost much support since the last elections?
A few months ago there was a big story that the District Rep said that he had procured an excavator to deal "for once and for all" the perennial silting problem which continues to plague the fishery's pond. The fishermen waited and waited and up to now, there is no sign of excavator. Alas, a contractor from Bexon was given the job; and contrary to the view that a lasting solution has been found, this is not the case for two major reasons. Firstly, the coastal dynamics which contribute to the siltation of the pond has not changed; and secondly, the location of the pond near the mouth of two rivers and two ravines will also contribute to its heavy siltation. Some re-engineering work needs to the done and this may cost millions of dollars. One option may be the relocation of the pond further "seaward".
A few weeks ago, the Choiseul fishermen lost one of their own as a result of a massive heart attack, which many believe was triggered by the sudden drop in temperature in the young man’s body after he stepped into the cold sea water.
Research carried out last year by the School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on data collected by the World Health Organisation(WHO) confirms the increase risk of heart attack by sudden drops in temperature. The study published in the British Medical Journal(BMJ), links each drop in temperature of 1 degree centigrade to about more 200 heart attacks. Does this prove the 'myth' by our forefathers who always advised, "Pa benyen nan gwo dlo frèt lè cho", don't bathe in cold water after prolong exposure to the hot sun?
The story which came out on DBS was not a true reflection of the sentiments of our fisherman. The villagers are aware it was orchestrated; they call the story another "Tucker DBS exclusive". The fishermen were never allowed tell their story. The DBS cameras were apparently hijacked by a few of Tucker’s hench(wo)men to attempt to make him look good. One henchman went as far as calling himself a ‘community leader'. A little research by Cecile Actille [DBS] would have revealed otherwise.
Whose bright idea was it to extend the wall on the seaward side ? If my memory serves me correctly the siltation problem was manageable until this was done so perhaps the answer would be to just remove the extension. A very good lesson showing how a relatively small interferance by man with nature can can have an enormous effect on the environment.
ReplyDeleteIt is done and I don't recall who did it. The bigger point here is that Rufus can go on National TV to boast about getting a solution to the problem in obtaining a backhoe and yet the blind or duped supporters don't realize that a man from Bexon is still making the money whilst they suffer. Rufus realizes that he is losing money here but the question is if he really cares. I think NOT. I think it is a ploy to clean and launder his dirty money. It's the aiders & abetters that will have to answer down the road. Choiseulians I warning you all, check yourself before you wreck yourself. By then "Batman" will be long gone with his offshore bank accounts and all. I just hope his affiliation with the Credit Union or a particular member thereof doesn't leave Choiseul without a Union. We need to take these things seriously because our money can be in trouble.
ReplyDeleteSorry! Anonymous. We are on different wavelengths about "seaward". By seaward I meant further out to sea or eastward or at the back of the original sea wall. this would jell very well with Lorne's idea of a landing/docking facility for cruise ships or a ferry for sea transport.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, Lorne has gone beyond the mere talking about it and has engage engineers about the feasibility of the project - just as he did with the idea of a stadium. The Lorne campaign team has completed a community needs analysis (CNA) in this regard and all of Choiseul/saltibus will benefit.
This will be our approach to the development; not haphazard ti canal projects designed to keep people in everlasting poverty.
Tucker treated the Choiseul Fisheries problem just as he treated the ti canal projects; and just as the ti canal projects, it backfired.
Choiseul deserves better; and Lorne will lead the way in this regard. We don't mess around with the development of Choiseul.
We are genuine Choiseulians who CARE ABOUT US.