BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, November 1st, 2012(CUOPM) – The Federation’s only female parliamentarian, the Hon. Marcella Liburd says critics of the government’s decision to reduce its EC$700 million debt at the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank by vesting 1200 acres of land to the local financial institution have yet to provide an alternative solution to lowering the National Debt.
“What really amazes me, is how all the talk we are having about this and the National Debt. When you ask the same people who are talking, morning, noon and night, what can be done? Give us some ideas as to how we can reduce the national debt that they talking about morning, noon and night. I could bet you, I could guarantee you that they have no answer,” said Ms. Liburd, who is Minister of Health, Social Services, Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs to persons attending the Town Hall Meeting at the Half Way Tree Community Center.
Ms. Liburd said she has asked the critics of the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank (Vesting in Certain Lands), Bill, 2012, “over and over again,” what is the alternative?
“They are absolutely empty and bereft of ideas. They cannot come up with any answers at all. These are just people who once you do something they criticize it. It doesn’t matter. If you run, they criticize; if you walk, they criticize, if you sit down, they criticize, but you don’t have any time to waste with that because you have to spend your energies doing positive things,” said Ms. Liburd, the Central Basseterre parliamentary representative.
She pointed out that when the critics are asked how to reduce the national debt they cannot come up with answers.
“I challenge you to ask them, any one of them. Tell me how you reduce the National Debt and see how many answers they give you to reduce it,” she said.
“The second thing has to do with really just remaining calm and focus, because there are people who become very emotional and worked up and carrying on for what I really don’t know, because when you are emotional and worked up like that you can’t think clearly so it’s all about being reasonable all of us in order to progress unless Onassis is you father or somebody who is rich,” said Minister Liburd, a former Speaker in the National Assembly, who pointed out that the EC$700 million debt, including EC$400 accumulated by the sugar industry over the past 40 years.
“All of us who come up through the grassroots in order to progress we have to be in debt at some point in time. I paying for my house, I couldn’t build my house unless I went into debt, many of us paying for our vehicles, I don’t know how many of you could have bought your vehicles that you have in cash but you have to go to the bank and borrow some money and be in debt. In order to go along with your life, in order to progress with your life, you had to go the bank and be in debt,” said Minister Liburd.
She pointed out that St. Kitts and Nevis is no different and it’s the same process, when one goes to the bank to build a home.
“You have to produce some security. You have to put up the house as security for the money that you are getting from the bank,” she stated, asking: “Can you go back to the bank now and say, I want you to write off my debt at the bank and at the same time thank you I want back my security because that is what we want to be said it seems. We want to write off the debt and also get back our security too. How do you get that done? How can we get that done! So to me it is quite reasonable for us to expect the National Bank, which is our bank, who is using people’s money, that they must have some security for the people’s money.”
Minister Liburd gave overwhelming support to the vehicle and venture, since there is a special clause in the Act which says that nothing is written in stone.
“In other words, if something comes up, you can change the particular part of the lands that are being distributed to other lands. There is nothing written in stone, and that is why it is important for us to be having these particular meetings,” said Minister Liburd.
“We just have to be reasonable and let everybody else jump up and be emotional saying and doing all sought of crazy things. The critical issue what is at stake is really not being addressed, because you know what they absolutely have no answer,” Minister Liburd.
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