Caribbean News Now!

Dear Sir:

Reading the headlines on my news portal October 12, 2012, “Cariled signs MOU with Saint Lucia government” spiked my interest. Only to be followed by Daher Broadcasting Service (DBS) news that same evening, entitled “Thanks a million.”

Please be advised, Dr Naresh Singh, regional director of CARILED and be not taken for a ride, particularly with all your good intentions -- accountability and oversight is not part of the culture at the Soufriere Regional Development Foundation (SRDF) as structured; and the local St Lucia Labour Party (SLP) Soufriere constituency council are two or three of the same entities.

Actually, it is common knowledge that the SRDF and the local SLP Soufriere constituency council embody the same, in personal, political ideology and business, as well as their subsidiary local stakeholders -- in other words – they are inter companies. Simply, they are all the same, the St Lucia Labour Party (SLP) political hierarchy. Is this what CARILED funding is intended to promote, or is this coincidence?

The business skills, auditing and accounting you mentioned are all good prerequisites but based on past inferences and current organizational structure; what is there to accommodate a stop gap for the avoidance of non-linkage of funds? If anything, that aspect seems to have been enhanced. In fact, the current structure seems representative of zebras playing to the foliage of the pasture, to prey on the unsuspected.

During much of the SLP and the district representative Hon. Harold Dalson’s term in opposition and during the November 2011 campaign, they bashed the United Workers Party, (UWP) and rightly so, on matters pertaining to the SRDF for corruption, political activity to victimization and personal largesse on the backs of the people of Soufriere.

Now in office, having won the election, can anyone with a straight face explain what is happening at the SRDF? The answer is the same and seems on course for worse. The reason for this is straight forward. The disgraced past district representative (with Dr or nurse credentials, am not certain) is the chief executive officer (CEO) at an exorbitant salary in excess of EC$10,000, plus expenses. The SRDF also has a chairman at an undisclosed fee, plus allowances. The staff of the SRDF is an open community secret, red all over under the wishes of Hon. Harold Dalson.

Is this what CARILED funding is willing to endorse towards sustainable local economic development (LED) projects, to stimulate growth and job creation?

One thing is possible, Dr Naresh Singh, it may stimulate the largesse of the top brass of the SRDF, the SLP, and the renewed criticism of all these various different interest groups, and bring to shame the compassion and goodwill of Canadian tax payers funds, entrusted to CARILED by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

There is a saying, the more things change, the more they remain the same. It is the same double dealings that are continuing; with under the table transactions, out of the blue corporations and contractors, double talk and two-faced comical representation by Hon. Harold Dalson that is no different from the previous administration, and probably worse.

This state of affairs is equally detrimental to have Canadian taxpayers’ funds clear government bureaucracy to propping-up socialism. Dammit!

Tori Fatal

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