BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FORMER Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Dwyer Astaphan said that the Federation’s tourism development must fit into “a practical, sensible and visionary master plan”.
In an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, the Member of Parliament (MP) stressed that tourism development could not be sensible if it excluded other critical development elements such as agriculture and housing for residential, commercial and industrial purposes.
“Agriculture must be factored in. There are lots of things persons can do in the present global environment to make themselves more self-sufficient in terms of home gardening and subsistence farming. The master plan must include a component for persons to do such things.
“Additionally, there must be land opportunities for housing, commercial and industrial development, as well as national parks and natural areas,” Astaphan said.
He noted that in the present global environment, many locals had concerns over the perception that land was being disposed of and given to foreigners. He asserted that the government had not done a sufficient enough job of allaying the fears of those people.
“What has accentuated persons’ concern is that the great demand for land has not been met. The government has been so successful in distributing houses and house lots, especially in contrast to the previous administration. They must ensure that every day, whether at the beginning or the end of a term, persons can access land for home development and commercial and industrial activities.
“All too often in some countries, large investors come in and the public feels as though the balance of equity is shifting away from them. The government needs to ensure there is a mix of developers who can balance out one another and who fit into the social and political ethos of the country. That way, no one investor feels too powerful and the public does not feel powerless, because the first objective of national development is the empowerment of the people,” Astaphan declared.
Astaphan revealed that he had possessed reservations about the Christophe Harbour Project, as the South East Peninsula represented a significant portion of the overall land mass of the country. He stated that as much as he welcomed investment, due to the country’s small size in terms of landmass and population, the government needed to be particularly cautious and transparent.
“The primary objective of the government is national development and the public must be aware of that at all times. The Christophe Harbour Project is of such importance and it would represent such a transformation of the economy...I feel that more public airing of the relevant information needs to be done. Increased public dialogue would only contribute to good governance and democracy, “Astaphan said.
