BASSETERRE St Kitts, “The government must develop a respect for locals and local investors. Therefore I must agree with Dr. Harris and his view that local investors must be appreciated," said Hamilton.
Senior Minister in the Labour Party Administration the Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris has joined Opposition Party People’s Action Movement Deputy Political Leader the Hon. Eugene Hamilton in a call for greater focus and attention of local investors.
The statement by Dr. Harris, which was published on the miyvue.com news website, came just days after Hamilton made a similar plea in light of the revelation that Sugar Workers moneys through the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation SIDF funds were used to assist a foreign investor in the recently launched development of the Kittitian Hill project.
The Minister with responsibility for International Trade, Industry, Commerce, Consumer Affairs said “We need to show more appreciation for home-grown investors.”
Harris lamented that very often foreign investors are given much more attention than local investors. He further questioned the notion often adapted that investor is synonymous with foreigner.
“It has so much become our culture that when we hear that there is a new investor, the thought of the ordinary Kittitian or Nevisian does not come to mind,” said Harris.
Harris opined “The question we must ask is how come the notion of the investor has become alienated from our people?”
Harris further questioned ““How come when we think of those things it is always perhaps the white personality, it is an Indian or Chinese? No difficulty with those but we must ask ourselves when we are going to change that perception, that when we think or those things, we think of ourselves?”
“A considerable percentage of businesses that exist here are indigenous and have contributed significantly to the development of the economy,” Harris noted, “but there is still more opportunities available,” he added.
Hon. Eugene Hamilton expressed a similar view when he blasted the government for the use of Sugar Workers moneys in the SIDF fund for assisting the investor in the Kittitian Hill project. The Constituency#8 representative expressed outrage that the fund was used to assist a foreign investor as opposed to a group of local investors including former sugar workers.
Hamilton has long promoted the view that the moneys from the fund should be used to finance a sugar workers cooperative consisting of directors and shareholders all of whom would be ex sugar workers. Thus making hundreds, maybe thousands of ex-sugar workers, investors in a project such as Kittitian Hill.
Hamilton said “What is wrong with forming a cooperative with ex Sugar Workers and providing that same SIDF money to that cooperative to team up with other local investors like TDC, Horsfords, C & C, to develop a truly local project. Thus the development will be owned and managed by locals with local workers. So the Sugar Workers will be more than employees, they will be owners. They would have a vested stake in the development. It is alarming to me that a so called investor comes to this country to invest and has to use the money of our people, our money, to fulfill the investment and buy 400 acres of OUR lands. “
When asked to comment on the sentiments of Minister Harris, Hamilton said “The government must develop a respect for locals and local investors. Therefore I must agree with Dr. Harris and his view that local investors must be appreciated and not just ignored in favour of foreign investors. I made the point before that while our local farmers are leased less than 150 acres of land to farm, foreigners are sold hundreds of acres to build golf courses and luxury villas. This was not the intention of Bradshaw and Sir Kennedy when they acquired and paid for the sugar lands in the name of the people. I think Dr. Harris’ statements shows that probably unlike his government colleague’s or his party’s leader, he understands the importance of encouraging and facilitating local investment.”
