 |
|
Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Sustainable Development, Information and Technology, Senator the Hon. Nigel Carty, has hailed the Kittitian-born CEO of UTS-Cariglobe, Mr. Clecton Phillip, as an example of the success of the programme of socio-economic transformation of the ruling St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party. |
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JUNE 16TH 2005 Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Sustainable Development, Information and Technology, Senator the Hon. Nigel Carty, has hailed the Kittitian-born CEO of UTS-Cariglobe, Mr. Clecton Phillip, as an example of the success of the programme of socio-economic transformation of the ruling St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party.
He told scores of invited guests at the launching of UTS-Cariglobe, as the third telecommunications service provider in St. Kitts and Nevis, at the Royal St. Kitts Marriott Grand Ballroom Wednesday night, that as a small developing state, St. Kitts and Nevis, must attempt ward off the negativities of globalisation.
Minister Carty said that the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis under the leadership of Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil L. Douglas, at the criticism of other Governments within the Region and with certain calculated risks, took a deliberate position to empower its locals.
No operator in the Federation epitomises the national struggle more accurately than UTS-Cariglobe does and Chippie has been long in coming, Minister Carty said, who added that the licence issued to AT&T, provided the condition that local investment of a certain proportion was mandatory.
Not only did the Government ensure that existing entrepreneurs benefited from the expanding opportunities, but it made certain small local people, with not much more than the spirit of entrepreneurship, get a chance to participate in the growing economic sector, said Minister Carty, who added: This is where Clecton Phillip fits in. And Clecton is just one example of the successes of the programme of socio-economic transformation of the current administration.
He said the Federal Government of St. Kitts and Nevis understood and fully embraced the concept of liberalisation within the sector.
Government understood the plethora of benefits that were to be gained by the introduction of competition. The government understood the impact its decision would have on access to telecommunications services, cost to the consumer, quality of service, revenues for the public purse, and the overall investment climate, said Minister Carty.
He said that as a small developing state, St. Kitts and Nevis, like more developed regional and extra regional states, must attempt to ward off the negativities of globalisation.
We must make our communication and production systems more efficient, more stable and more cost effective. We must provide opportunities for participation in education, entrepreneurship and self-actualisation to the widest possible group of our citizens. As we maintain our drive towards the adoption of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), towards the establishment of a single economic space, and as we move closer to the ideals enunciated by our MDGs, to alleviate poverty and ignorance in all forms, we must understand that there is no facility more enabling, more effectual, more powerful and farther reaching than information and communications technology, said Minister Carty.
He gave the invited guests, who included Governor General His Excellency Dr. Sir Cuthbert Sebastian, Deputy Governor General of Nevis, His Honour Mr. Eustace John and Mrs. John, Ministers of Government, the UTS Board from Curacao and local businessmen, the assurance that St. Kitts and Nevis is on the right track and he anticipates an increase in investment in all sectors of the St. Kitts and Nevis economy.
I anticipate a heavy crop of opportunities from which our people will benefit. I am confident that the vision that this Government has pursued will bring the anticipated rewards. I believe that the future of every Kittitian and Nevisian is a little brighter today than it was yesterday, said Minister Carty, who also used the opportunity to reflect on the enormous challenges St. Kitts and Nevis faces. And whether you are a telecommunications provider, regulator, a legislator, a subscriber or some other class of stakeholder, I think this occasion makes it imperative that we engage in some degree of reflection.
He noted that back in 1998, the Government under then Minister of Telecommunications, the Hon. Cedric Liburd, vigorously embarked upon the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector not only in St. Kitts and Nevis, but also within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
Since 2000, the portfolio of Telecommunications has been handled by Hon. G. A. Dwyer Astaphan, the Hon. Sam Condor, and the Hon. Nigel Carty.,
The road trodden has been a long, winding, undulating and at times an uncertain one, said Minister Carty, who congratulated UTS for partnering with Cariglobe to bring high-quality and competitive telecommunications products and services to domestic and commercial subscribers in St. Kitts and Nevis.
I believe that with the official entry of UTS-Cariglobe into the local market, the benefits which we have envisaged over the years are more certain to accrue, said Minister Carty as he congratulated all of the investors and other stakeholders.
