France commits to support for Antigua
BASSE-TERRE, Guadeloupe, Wednesday July 13, 2011 – France stands ready to support concrete strategic and focused development initiatives between Guadeloupe and Antigua and Barbuda.
That assurance was made to Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer during a courtesy call on Prefect of Guadeloupe, Jean Fabre, on Monday when representatives from both countries signed a cooperation agreement to share expertise and make joint approaches to secure development assistance.
Fabre said cooperation between Guadeloupe and Antigua and Barbuda could begin with healthcare, tourism and the agricultural sectors.
In expressing appreciation for the “warm welcome and the fact that Antigua and Barbuda has finally decided to embark upon this historic journey”, Prime Minister Spencer stressed the significance of the agreement and expressed his country’s desire to quickly operationalize the contents of the accord.
Ambassador Dr. Clarence Henry and Jean Tibilan have been designated to follow up on their discussions.
That assurance was made to Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer during a courtesy call on Prefect of Guadeloupe, Jean Fabre, on Monday when representatives from both countries signed a cooperation agreement to share expertise and make joint approaches to secure development assistance.
Fabre said cooperation between Guadeloupe and Antigua and Barbuda could begin with healthcare, tourism and the agricultural sectors.
In expressing appreciation for the “warm welcome and the fact that Antigua and Barbuda has finally decided to embark upon this historic journey”, Prime Minister Spencer stressed the significance of the agreement and expressed his country’s desire to quickly operationalize the contents of the accord.
Ambassador Dr. Clarence Henry and Jean Tibilan have been designated to follow up on their discussions.
POWERHOUSE COMMENTARY:
ANTIGUA SHOWS ST. LUCIA HOW TO DO IT
Since the takeover by the Super 8, St. Lucia has become a den of corruption, with our foreign Minister flouting our Finance Act and other laws with impunity. Classic examples include the so-called dubious donations clearly diverted to campaign projects. One of those is the “stadium” bluff.
On the November 14th, 2010 on the La Fargue playing field, the foreign minister declared that he had almost 1 million dollars ($850,000) from Morocco into Choiseul Credit Union for the construction of stadium in Choiseul. Subsequently, he announced that he received more monies from Portugal, Canada and India for that purpose.
None of those monies passed through the Gov’t financial system and hence, there are no mechanisms for accountability. The Minister does as he pleases. In fact, the latest news is those monies have been removed from the credit union and nobody knows where they have been lodged and to date there are no signs of project implementation. In the absence of proper accountability, what do you expect?
Information reaching the PowerHouse suggests that those monies might have been placed in the hands of a mysterious Mr Smith and some of it may well have been channeled (by way of a loan) into the purchase of a $2 million dollar condo at the Landings, allegedly belonging to Mr Smith himself. Although the suggestion is plausible, we have not been able to verify that fact beyond reasonable doubt. Suffice it to say, it would be interesting to know about the whereabouts of those monies.
The world is a global village and potential donor countries and agencies have ample diplomatic intelligence at their disposal. They are in a position to know a lot more (than me or you) about those type of “Gaddafi-type” financial atrocities; and they simply won’t give development assistance to us if they know that we corrupt.
To add insult to injury, they would not give a black cent to St. Lucia as long as we have a US convicted criminal parading the world stage as our foreign minister.
Meanwhile, the Government of Antigua has come a long way from their “checkered past” to BEING a "relative model" of Caribbean democracy. Today, they are teaching the Government of St. Lucia how to do “foreign affairs” business. Their approach is progressive, transparent, accountable and leaves little or no room for corruption. That’s a model that the St. Lucia Government should emulate.
A question worth asking is: “Have the governments of Morocco and Portugal violated diplomatic protocol by making monies payable to a Minister instead of the treasury?” It is a matter that the appropriate authorities should investigate and let the axe fall where it should.
Exactly what "Antigua" are you talking about?
ReplyDeleteTheir FSRC and those above including Finance/Justice minister Cort and Past PM Bird and current PM Spencer are all on the verge of being extradited with Leroy King for a US$7 billion fraud involving their Knight Allen Stanford.
Tucker is Perhaps worst off. Stanford is still on trial.tucker has been convicted. Thatz the findamental difference.
ReplyDeleteWe all knew about the allegations of corruption against the Birds. That's why the argument that Antigua has come a long way. Imagine, the Birds knighted Stanford. In St. Lucia, the gov't honoured a member of a former pornographic ring. They also honoured a couple of dubious characteristics. We have convicted criminals in our cabinet; Our foreign Minister is an ex-convict. No other country in the Caribbean has that record. He had been fired twice from Sir John's Cabinet and King hired him again.
ReplyDeleteThe Government of Baldwin Spencer has taken Antigua a long way in trying to erase the legacy and culture of corruption. St Lucia is doing the reverse: plunging us into the morasses corruption.
interesting discourse. I don't believe the government of Baldwin Spencer is corrupt. In fact they have done a good job at trying to stamp it out. I know Dr Jacqui Queen-Leandro personally and I doubt she would have anything to do with any corrupt regime. She is a minister in Spencer's gov't.
ReplyDelete