Sandy Pointers highlight concerns with land-for-debt swap

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A recent meeting held at Mount Idle by Sandy Point’s three leading community groups – SPIRIT, SPACS and CIPEO - realised residents of that town highlighting their concerns pertaining to the land-for-debt swap issue, which they claimed would adversely affect their current and future generations.

The meeting took the form of an ‘open mic’ forum where – following presentations by representations of these groups – community members were given the opportunity to voice their concerns and even forward suggestions relative to the highly controversial issue.

SPIRIT’s Public Relations Officer Che-Raina Warner had indicated to SKNVibes prior to the event that all concerns, queries and even suggestions, would be documented and forwarded to the Prime Minister and Minister of Lands, the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas whenever a town hall meeting is held in that area.

The raised concerns – some of which have been re-echoed many times before – include:

• Just how much of the debt which the government owes to the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank would be settled through the sale of the 1 200 acres of land?

• With 1 200 of crown lands already vested in the National Bank, and with there being no clarity on how much debt the sale of that land would settle, and with the Act providing for the Prime Minister to claim other lands if necessary, how much more land, if any, would be taken from under the feet of the people of St. Kitts?

• Why is it that there are still soo many generalities with regard to this St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank (Vesting of Certain Lands) Bill 2012? What would the price of the lands be?

• What if the Prime Minister finds it necessary to vest more lands into the National Bank, would generations to come receive the opportunity to purchase a piece of the rock?

• Even if the only option had by the government were the vesting of lands in the National Bank, why didn’t the 1 200 acres of lands come from across the nine parishes in St. Kitts in accordance with their size? Why were the lands only taken from a couple of areas?

While concerns were aired, Sandy Pointers also highlighted what they believe to be appropriate alternatives that could have been employed by the Prime Minister in settling the debt which the government owes to the Bank.

These included:
• Leasing lands on a long-term basis for the purposes of commercial development. This would have generated significant returns which would have been used in paying the debt;

• Monies from the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF) could have been used to pay the debt; and

• The St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank could have taken a haircut just as other creditors of the government were asked to take one. This would have provided some ease to the government and would have possibly resulted in the 1 200 acres of lands remaining in the hands of the people.

Though the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla (Vesting of Certain Lands) Bill 2012 has been passed into law, these individuals are of the view that the Act could and should be repealed before the patrimony of the people is further ripped from their clutches.