BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THERE is something fishy about the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank (Vesting of Certain Lands) Bill 2012 says social activist Washington ‘Washie’ Archibald, who charges that there are pieces of the transaction which do not add up.
Just five days ago the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank (Vesting of Certain Lands) Bill 2012 was passed in the Federal Parliament – which intends to effect a reduction in the Federation’s huge debt.
Through the Bill, some 1 200 acres of crown land has been vested in the bank to be sold by a company - in which both the bank and government would be shareholders - for the settlement of debt owned by the government to that bank.
All three readings of the Bill took place on Friday, September 21, 2012 and, according to the Schedule of the Bill, about 13 parcels of land (497.17 acres) are from the Sir Gillies, Farms Estate and Bourkes Estate areas, six parcels (103) acres from Lodge Estate, two parcels (207.231 acres) from Hermitage Estate, one parcel (195.73 acres) from Brighton Estate and 192.6 acres from Lamberts Estate.
Widespread outcry is still being heard across the Federation in objection to Prime Minister the Right Honourable Dr. Denzil L. Douglas’ move to settle some of the nation’s debt in the manner than he has.
Archibald – one of the Federation’s foremost social commentator – said something is awry and while only time will tell if his suspicions are correct, he provided some details for this publication.
“There is something fishy going on! So when Douglas gives the bank the land, it is the government giving the government the land to sell. But it is worse than that…the land cannot be sold unless it is done by Douglas himself. Douglas has set up a committee to oversee the selling of the land.
“He did not tell us how much he would sell the land for. So my suspicion is that that land is going to be sold to Douglas and his friends and it is going to be sold for much less than what they owed the bank. The bank is prepared to settle for the debt because what the bank is going to do is to forgive the debt and that land is going to fall into the hands of Douglas and his friends. I am prepared to stand by that.
“There is too much that we cannot see in that very important deal. You are taking 1 200 acres of people’s land and you cannot explain properly what you are going to do with the land?”
Archibald – who seems quite passionate about the issue - suggested that one of the ways in which the government could have dealt with the issue is to ask the St. Kitts-Nevis National Bank to take a haircut as it did for other creditors.
“I have a problem with 1 200 acres being taken but I have a bigger problem with the fact that this 1 200 acres of land is not being taken with the right motive. The government defaulted on its debt last year (and) the people who the government owed money were forced to take what is called a haircut. Why can’t national bank take a haircut? National Bank should be the first to take a haircut because it is majority owned by the government.
“National Bank should be asked to forgive the debt and let us keep our land. But Douglas is smart! He is using the land as a decoy, he is using subterfuge to get the land under his control out of the government into the control of the bank so that he and the bank could do whatsoever they want with our land. That is the real problem I have.”
The educator’s suggestion is that this plan may have been birthed some time ago, reaching as far back as when former Minister of Agriculture and Lands – Cedric Liburd – was stripped of his responsibility of the Land Ministry and Dr. Douglas took it unto himself.
He said the plan was “for Douglas to get the land under his personal control so he could do what he wants with the land. And don’t say he cannot do it because when he has already taken the land, what can you do about it? What can any of us do when the land ends up in Dr. Douglas hands?”
